EIT researchers are looking forward to the opportunities provided by the new EIT Institute of Sport and Health currently under construction at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park.

The EIT School of Health and Sports Science will lead programme delivery and research through the teaching spaces and research laboratory. The focus will be on promoting healthy lifestyles, programmes for at-risk youth, community health and well-being programmes, as well as the development of talented local sports people. The Institute will work in association with Hawke’s Bay District Health Board and Sport Hawke’s Bay to develop specialised programmes and establish research projects.

The teaching and lecture space will also contain an environmentally controlled lab to assist in athlete acclimation. There are few such labs in the country and their purpose is to improve an athlete’s ability to handle heat/humidity stress. This will be especially important for elite athletes who compete in climates very different from our own.

With stage 1 due for completion mid-2019, the EIT Institute will be the main facility driving research and creating programmes for delivery throughout the region, and although aligning with other existing community centres, it will be the focal point and centre piece for health and sport in all of Hawke’s Bay. Sport Science Services at Pettigrew Green Arena will be maintained and continue to provide the following services: exercise physiology, physical conditioning, biomechanics, anthropometry and sport physiology.