Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North

Central Energy Trust Arena is one of New Zealand’s largest multi-use sporting and event precincts, accommodating a diverse range of indoor and outdoor sporting, entertainment and community events throughout the year.

CPRW was initially engaged to review the long-term masterplanning and operational reorganisation of the precinct, with early investigations focused on the relocation of speedway pit and operational infrastructure within the wider venue environment.

Through detailed operational analysis, CPRW identified an alternative infrastructure strategy which avoided substantial new building works and retained key existing operational facilities while simultaneously unlocking additional site capacity for future indoor sports and event development.

The resulting masterplan repositioned the relationship between vehicles, operations and public movement across the site through a strategy of vertical separation, fundamentally reshaping the public arrival sequence and operational functionality of the venue.

This approach led to the development of a new public entrance plaza and elevated pedestrian bridge connecting visitors directly into the main outdoor arena environment while separating patrons from operational and service movements below. The intervention not only improved event operations and public safety, but established a new identity and arrival experience for the wider precinct.

The project reflects CPRW’s broader approach to built environment transformation — integrating operational understanding, infrastructure planning and long-term strategic thinking to unlock spatial, functional and public value within complex multi-use environments.