This project is to renew the Bernie Wood artificial turf at Ascot Park. The turf has reached the end of its useful life.

Originally funded by the Porirua Synthetic Sportsfield Trust (primarily to support the development of Rugby League), this all-weather multi-code artificial turf with its associated night lighting was acquired by Council in 2017.

Bernie Wood artificial turf is the most heavily used sports field managed by Council. An average winter season at Bernie Wood sees over 40 hours of booked use per week. In comparison, our sand carpet fields have a maximum capacity of 10 hours per week and our soil-based fields up to 6 hours. Bernie Wood artificial turf is critical to Council providing capacity for winter sport training and competition in Porirua.

Artificial turfs typically have a lifespan of up to 10 years but with careful management, we have managed to eke out 12 years of continuous service by investing annually on grooming and artificial turf repairs.

The existing surface was supplied and installed in 2014 and comprises of a 20mm ‘shock pad’ with a Ligaturf RS + 260 artificial turf (carpet), a sand weighting layer and crumb rubber infill. At the time of installation, this system was certified to FIFA One Star (now FIFA Quality) and World Rugby Regulation 22.

Independent assessors Labosport have advised Council that the existing carpet and 20mm shock pad will fail World Rugby Head Injury Criterion (HIC) requirements from 2026.

To ensure Bernie Wood artificial turf meets current World Rugby and FIFA certification, a new 30mm thick ‘shock pad’ or a 10mm overlay on the existing 20mm thick shock pad is required, along with the new turf carpet and infill material.

The European Union (EU) has banned the sale of crumb rubber infill in artificial turf fields (effective from 2031 as part of a broader strategy to reduce microplastics entering the environment), allowing a transition period for existing fields to continue to be used until the end of their lifespan.

We aim to not use either crumb or virgin rubber now that natural or organic infill alternatives such as cork, shredded olive pits or engineered timber products such as Brockfill are available.