Two Major Projects Underway at Auckland's Manuka Doctor Arena

Finalising construction partner for roof project

After nearly 20-years of planning and waiting to get a roof over centre court, we're now within a year of seeing it finally come to fruition. 

Tennis Auckland is very excited to be able to confirm all funding is fully locked in and we are close to finalising our construction partner who will design and build the new roof for Auckland's Manuka Doctor Arena, home of the ASB Classic.

The roof build will have a staged construction programme running through to late 2026, moving from building consent and fabrication into on-site works and completion of the project in July 2027 in time for the 2028 ASB Classic. Keep an eye on the Manuka Doctor Arena from March 2027 to watch the roof rise over Stanley St. 

The appointment of our construction partner will be a massive step forward for this legacy project. 

We've talked a lot about the roof giving Auckland a modern, year-round venue New Zealand can be proud of, and our partner has extensive experience delivering fabric roof structures on major venues globally means we are not experimenting. We are applying a proven system to a building that means a huge amount to the tennis community in New Zealand. 

The design will see a fabric canopy installed over Centre Court creating a covered venue with a capacity of 3500 people for the ASB Classic and close to 4000 for other events. The roof will open the arena up to a much wider range of events beyond tennis including concerts, theatre performances, conferences and other sports - did you see the Breakers play the Brisbane Bullets at the Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday? Wouldn't it be great to host the Breakers at Manuka Doctor Arena? 

You might have noticed some works going on around centre court in July and August. This was the first of the physical works for the project, drilling a couple of bore holes to test the ground and check the depth of the bedrock for the four massive pillars that'll be installed. It was great to finally break ground on the project. 

Full court rebuild underway on outer courts

The work around Manuka Doctor Arena hasn't just been limited to centre court. There's a massive project on the outer courts. Some of you who have played at Next Gen in Interclub and Caro Bowl matches, may have noticed the courts had started to significantly deteriorate. 

In mid-August, works started on the complete rebuild of courts 2, 3 & 4. After an in-depth analysis of the state of the courts, it was determined that the courts' sub-base of asphalt had come to the end of its usable life and needed to be replaced. 

Auckland based construction firm, Kalmar, has been commissioned to remove the asphalt and waterproof membrane, then relay the waterproofing and replace the court sub-base with a post-tensioned concrete slab. Finally, the court surface will be applied with the official Australian Open playing surface of GreenSet cushioned acrylic. 

Come December, the courts are scheduled to be in a pristine state for the 2027 ASB Classic, and last without significant repairs and maintenance required for decades to come. As an Interclub player, you will get to enjoy the end result as well, when the courts are opened up again for club tennis in February 2027.