Open Country Community Stadium opens in Matamata
A new home for community connection and wellbeing
On Saturday, 21 February, the Open Country Community Stadium officially open, marking the culmination of years of vision, advocacy and partnership.
Known in te reo Maaori as Te Whare Hui Ora, meaning wellbeing through connection, the stadium represents far more than a new indoor court space. It is a place where movement and shared experiences will bring people together, strengthen relationships, and support the long-term wellbeing of the Matamata community.
The idea for a purpose-built indoor facility has been discussed in Matamata for years. Momentum grew through the commitment of Bruce Magan, Frank Healey and the Matamata Futures Trust, who worked tirelessly to bring people together around a shared goal: a modern, sustainable facility that would serve the wider community.
From those early conversations, the project gained backing from key partners including Matamata-Piako District Council, Matamata College, the Ministry of Education (MoE), and generous local individuals and businesses, with major support from funders such as Trust Waikato, Lotteries Commission, Lion Foundation, Grassroots Trust, and Aotearoa Gaming Trust, Endeavour Trust and the Glenice & John Gallagher Foundation. We’re incredibly proud to have played a role in connecting stakeholders and helping shape a model that was both deliverable and sustainable long-term.
“Sport Waikato have been right there with us and have been an invaluable partner, helping to path the way to ensure this project became a reality,” said Frank Healey, Matamata Futures Trust chairperson. “Without their guidance, support, connections and experience we wouldn’t be here today without them.”
Left - Matamata-Piako District Mayor - Ash Tanner, Matamata Futures Trust chairperson - Frank Healey & Sport Waikato CEO Matthew Cooper
Investing in versatile spaces for sport, recreation and wellbeing is not just about improving the health and fitness of young people. It is also about fostering community connection and engagement. Schools are an integral part of their communities, and with councils and the Ministry of Education facing similar fiscal and infrastructure challenges, partnership approaches like this provide practical and sustainable solutions. For this reason, we strongly support these models. A partnership approach to this type of infrastructure can deliver modern, high-quality infrastructure that benefits students and the wider community alike, and it has been a pleasure to work with all partners to bring this project to life.
