This Thursday, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Murray McCully, will mark the beginning of a major $40M redevelopment at AUT Millennium Campus – New Zealand’s new home of high performance sport.
With construction about to start, the expansion will effectively double the current floor space at AUT Millennium Campus, creating a world class facility on par with other sporting centre's of excellence around the world, such as the Australian Institute of Sport, says Mike Stanley, CEO of the AUT Millennium Trust.
In June 2010, Prime Minister John Key announced a massive $40M cash injection into high performance sport in New Zealand, including the major development of high performance facilities around the country. The Government is investing $15M into the stage one redevelopments of AUT Millennium Campus on Auckland's North Shore, which will become the new national training centre for high performance sport.
"The new centre ensures there are world class facilities here in New Zealand for our athletes to train in. It will be the centre of sporting excellence which propels New Zealand's next generation of athletes onto an international stage. It will also help produce more world class sporting champions and increase our medal prospects at future Olympic Games and World Championships," says Stanley.
The new centre will be operated by AUT Millennium Trust – a 50-50 partnership between AUT University and the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health; bringing together the best of sports science research, coaching and management expertise.
Stanley says the partnership between AUT University and the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health will help drive the development of high performance sport in New Zealand through education, research and coaching.
Developments at AUT Millennium Campus include the creation of a high performance zone, a Sports Science Centre, an environmental chamber, a strength and conditioning suite, expanded medical and specialist facilities; a 50m Olympic swimming pool, a new public health and fitness centre; significant additional office, education and meeting facilities; and additional accommodation.
