Rodney Green Arenas is Hawke's Bay's premiere sport and event centre, located on Gloucester Street in Taradale, Napier. Born in 1999 from a joint project between the Eastern Institute of Technology, Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and Hawke's Bay Regional Council, the venue expanded in 2020 with two new indoor court arenas and now welcomes more than 511,000 visits and hosts around 6,240 games every year.
The complex brings a 24/7 Arena Gym and nine multi-sport indoor courts under one roof. Gym members receive an individual workout plan built around their goals, can join functional classes led by the gym's own instructors, and have full access to dedicated Les Mills International virtual fitness rooms, including RPM, The Trip and the GRIT Series. Court members get swipe-key access to courts that convert for basketball, netball, volleyball, futsal, badminton and pickleball, plus an easy online booking system and savings when memberships are bundled.
Beyond sport, Rodney Green Arenas is one of the region's largest event centres, hosting everything from sporting fixtures, concerts and balls to expos, award shows, weddings and dinners. Facilities range from the 2,400m² Pettigrew Green Arena, with two grandstands seating 1,100 each and mezzanine seating for 190, to the 80-seat Lady Pettigrew Theatre, flexible conference rooms and a 12-seat Board Room. With free on-site parking for 385 vehicles, a fully staffed gym on weekdays and Saturdays, and a 100% community-focused ethos, the arena welcomes people of all backgrounds, abilities and ages.
Spread across a large complex on Gloucester Street in Taradale, Rodney Green Arenas calls itself Hawke's Bay's premiere sport and event centre, and the numbers lend the claim weight: roughly 6,240 games played each year and more than 511,000 visits. It is part gym, part stadium, part theatre and part conference centre — and, above all, a community hub where the region comes to move, compete and celebrate.
The story began in 1999, when the Eastern Institute of Technology wanted a facility that would complement its academic programme. That ambition grew into a joint project with Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and Hawke's Bay Regional Council, and became the Pettigrew Green Arena. In 2020 the site expanded again, adding two new indoor court arenas — the Rodney Green Arenas — and cementing the complex's place as a cornerstone of the community. Today the team, from General Manager Janene Dixon-Smith to the gym's instructors and sports activators, works to keep the venue positive, inclusive and accountable to the region it serves.
For members, the gym never closes. Arena Gym runs on 24/7 swipe-key access, so early birds and night owls can train whenever it suits, with staff on hand Monday to Friday from 5:30am to 7pm and Saturday mornings from 8am to noon. New members don't just get a key tag — they receive an individual workout plan built around their goals and can join functional classes led by the gym's own instructors.
The gym's standout feature is its dedicated Les Mills International virtual fitness rooms. In RPM, a 45-minute ride born from cycle racing, simulated climbs and sprints let you set your own intensity. The Trip takes things further: an immersive sensory workout inspired by cinema, live concerts and interactive gaming, where purpose-built studios and immersive video push fitness, as Les Mills puts it, into a new dimension. For a fast hit, the GRIT Series packs cutting-edge HIIT strength training into 30 high-powered minutes.
Sport is the arena's heartbeat. Court members enjoy swipe-key access to nine multi-sport indoor courts, an easy online booking system, and layouts that can be configured as nine basketball courts, nine netball courts, nineteen volleyball courts, nine small futsal courts, four international futsal courts or sixteen badminton and pickleball courts. Court memberships are priced affordably by the week, with savings when bundled with an Arena Gym membership, and student and senior discounts are available. A weekly timetable, updated every Monday and posted to the arena's Facebook and Instagram pages, shows exactly when courts are free.
As one of Hawke's Bay's largest event centres, Rodney Green Arenas is well-versed in big moments. The main Pettigrew Green Arena offers 2,400 square metres of floor space beneath two grandstands seating 1,100 apiece, plus mezzanine seating for 190 — configurable for sporting events, award shows, trade shows, expos, concerts, balls, weddings and dinners. The Lady Pettigrew Theatre, on the first floor, seats 80 in tiered rows with a projector, stage curtains, PA system and internet — ideal for presentations, performances and film screenings, though evening slots for 2025 are already fully booked. Smaller gatherings fit comfortably into the Harris or Simkin Rooms, each seating 25 with configurations up to 50, or the 12-seat Board Room.
Visiting is easy: there is free on-site parking for 385 vehicles, with dedicated gym parking at the front of the building. The arena and its car parks are entirely smokefree. Food can't be taken onto the courts — the foyer's seating is the spot for snacks — though sealed drink bottles are welcome. Every entrant needs their own valid membership and swipe tag, and lost property is held at foyer reception for two weeks. Whether you're shooting hoops late, riding simulated climbs at dawn or staging a regional expo, Rodney Green Arenas makes room for it — 100% community focused, around the clock.