A new home inside New Zealand’s largest indoor sport and recreation facility
Sport Canterbury has moved into its new office space inside the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre — the landmark 32,000m² venue delivered for the Christchurch community by Christchurch City Council, Crown Infrastructure Delivery, and designed by Warren and Mahoney in collaboration with Peddle Thorp and MJMA. Parakiore brings together high performance sport, community recreation and education under one roof, with international standard pools, nine indoor courts, a hydroslide tower and New Zealand’s first sensory aqua centre.
As one of the key tenants, Sport Canterbury were looking for a workspace that felt connected, purposeful and welcoming — a base that would support their mission of championing community wellbeing through play, active recreation and sport.
“We moved in on 1 December 2025 after what was a hugely elongated journey,” says CEO Julyan Falloon. “The project started in 2016, but the long timeline meant we had the chance to consider everything properly.”
Buro Maxim chairs feature in a boardroom-style meeting room.
Designing for collaboration, calm and long-term flexibility
Sport Canterbury wanted a simple, open plan space with room to grow. The design accommodates 91 workstations, plus shared spaces between tenants. Despite doubling the footprint from their previous Hornby site, Julyan notes that the new workspace is energy efficient — “the power bill is the same,” he says, thanks to careful planning and acoustic lining.
Their workforce is diverse: programme managers and community teams who are constantly on the move, alongside staff who spend most of their day at a desk. Ensuring the space supported both ends of the spectrum was essential.
“Ergonomics were really important,” Julyan explains. “We’ve got people who are out in the community all day, and others who are ‘homies’ needing proper sit stand setups. We needed furniture that could support everyone.”
Sport Canterbury initially engaged Buchan Group for early concepts before working closely with Canterbury Office Furniture and Douglas Furniture & Joinery to refine the fit out. Alan from Douglas worked with the team throughout the extended build period, ensuring timing aligned with the fixed opening date.
“The philosophy was simple — do it once, do it properly,” Julyan says. “Nothing was a problem working with Alan.”
Mondo Soho chairs, Koplus Milli Stand Booth, Konfurb Hady chairs.
Furniture that supports movement, focus and connection
The final workspace brings together a carefully trialled mix of Buro Seating, Mondo, Konfurb and Koplus solutions supplied through Douglas Furniture & Joinery.
Across the main work areas, Buro Mantra and Mondo Soho task chairs provide everyday adjustability with synchronised mechanisms and a supportive mesh back — giving staff intuitive, comfortable ergonomics for long days at the desk.
For casual meeting areas and touchdown zones, Konfurb Hady chairs with timber legs bring warmth and softness, while Buro Maxim and Buro Lindis offer robust stackable seating for workshops, training spaces and community sessions.
One of the most impactful additions has been the Koplus Milli Stand acoustic booths— two standing pods finished in Graphite Grey that give staff a place to take calls or focus without occupying formal meeting spaces. The booths include motion‑activated lighting, built‑in ventilation and integrated power and data, creating a private workspace inside the openness of the floor.
“The booths are being used a lot,” Julyan says. “They look sleek, they reduce noise, and they’ve taken pressure off our meeting rooms. They were absolutely worth the investment.”
Konfurb Hady chairs, Buro Mantra chairs.
Furniture that supports movement, focus and connection
The final workspace brings together a carefully trialled mix of Buro Seating, Mondo, Konfurb and Koplus solutions supplied through Douglas Furniture & Joinery.
Across the main work areas, Buro Mantra and Mondo Soho task chairs provide everyday adjustability with synchronised mechanisms and a supportive mesh back — giving staff intuitive, comfortable ergonomics for long days at the desk.
For casual meeting areas and touchdown zones, Konfurb Hady chairs with timber legs bring warmth and softness, while Buro Maxim and Buro Lindis offer robust stackable seating for workshops, training spaces and community sessions.
One of the most impactful additions has been the Koplus Milli Stand acoustic booths— two standing pods finished in Graphite Grey that give staff a place to take calls or focus without occupying formal meeting spaces. The booths include motion‑activated lighting, built‑in ventilation and integrated power and data, creating a private workspace inside the openness of the floor.
“The booths are being used a lot,” Julyan says. “They look sleek, they reduce noise, and they’ve taken pressure off our meeting rooms. They were absolutely worth the investment.”
Buro Maxim chairs feature in a theatre-style meeting room.
A workplace built to last
Now settled in, Sport Canterbury say the fit out has delivered exactly what they hoped for: a functional, flexible and welcoming home for staff and visitors.
“The products suited our needs and were of a quality that will last,” Julyan says. “We raised the money to do it once and do it properly — and we’re really happy with the outcome.”
The result is a calm, connected workspace inside one of the most significant community sport developments in Aotearoa — a place where people can collaborate, focus, refresh and continue Sport Canterbury’s mission to build healthier, more active communities.
