The fences have come down between Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub and the surrounding Wigram Basin and wetlands – now is a great time to go and explore the new tracks.

The area around Wigram Basin (officially 'Wigram East Basin') has always been popular with walkers, as part of the project to construct the basin and wetlands to reduce flood risk for properties near the Heathcote, we’ve been able to add to, and improve, the existing walking tracks. The new tracks now link into the newly opened Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub and to the Southern Motorway cycleway, providing an active transport and recreational link.

The basin and wetlands were fast-tracked by The Council so that they could be delivered in tandem with the Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub. This saved the Council money, allowed the flood mitigation work to be delivered early and greatly reduced trucking material away through neighbouring residential streets. When you are enjoying Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub you are almost certainly on top of the silt and gravel that was moved from the basin project.

The main purpose of the Land Drainage Recovery Programme work was to reduce flood risk for properties downstream, but the Council's Six values approach (ecology, landscape, recreation, heritage, culture, and drainage) meant taking opportunities to make small changes to the design to deliver big benefits.

We hope you enjoy the results.

For the latest on what's happening at Ngā Puna Wai follow Sport Canterbury on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sportcanterburynz/