Rugby Park's grandstand and media tower will both require earthquake strengthening to ensure the Invercargill venue remains safe, according to a number of Invercargill City Council (ICC) commissioned reports.

The reports were presented on Friday (29 April) to the Invercargill City Charitable Trust (ICCT), who now has ownership of the popular sports facility.

ICC Assistant Group Manager Leisure and Recreation Richard McWha said “These reports provide the first, truly comprehensive view on the condition and seismic performance of the entirety of these structures at Rugby Park.”

“The results of the engineering assessments are not unexpected and the space is still able to be used by our community while we consider remedial action.”

The media tower has been found to be at Importance Level 2 (IL2), considered to be 20-25 per cent of New Building Standards (NBS), while the grandstand complex is at Importance Level 3(IL3), considered to be 15-20 per cent NBS.

“Council, alongside the ICCT, is now considering options and the approach to staging improvement works to ensure this facility is safe and to minimise the impact on planned events."

“The work will likely be staged to best fit around established rugby season fixtures where possible to avoid disruption, and will focus first on the media tower,” he said.

The ICC advised that work is already under way on detailed design and costings for the project and that they are working with Rugby Southland to manage any potential impacts.

$4.9 million has been allocated in the ICC's Long-term Plan 2021-2031 for Rugby Park seismic work and maintenance.