For councils, community groups and sporting organisations in Christchurch and the wider Rolleston and Selwyn area, having reliable, high-quality turf that stands up to heavy use year-round is a real challenge. At Foster Park, a recent irrigation project shows what’s possible when you pair smart design with robust commercial irrigation technology.
WaterForce has been part of this story from the beginning. As local irrigation specialists with deep experience in sports turf irrigation in Christchurch and the Selwyn District, we worked with Hunter irrigation products to deliver a system that meets the needs of a modern, high-use sports and recreation hub.
The Challenge
Foster Park includes wide open grass fields used for multiple sports. The climate around Christchurch and Rolleston brings cold, wet winters, hot, dry summers and strong prevailing winds, conditions that make keeping natural grass healthy difficult without the right irrigation strategy. Before upgrades, ground closures and inconsistent field quality were ongoing issues for sports turf managers.
Key requirements included:
- water application that gives uniform coverage across large areas
- durability through heavy use from community sport
- system ease of operation and control
- minimal maintenance downtime
The Solution
As local irrigation specialists in the Christchurch, Rolleston and Selwyn area, WaterForce brought experience and a proven approach to tackling these challenges. We selected a Hunter irrigation solution that puts control and performance at the centre of operations.
The system we installed includes:
- Hunter ACC2 Controllers for flexible, easy scheduling
- Hunter Centralus cloud-based management platform for remote system access
- High-performance Hunter I-25 rotors and ICV valves spread across more than 200 irrigation zones
- Coded decoders (ICD) to simplify wiring and operation
This setup allows field managers to schedule water with precision and respond quickly to changing weather conditions. For a facility that sees varied use and high expectations for playability, that kind of control matters.
The Result
With the commercial irrigation system fully commissioned, Foster Park now delivers consistently safe, green and playable sports turf throughout the year. The uniformity and reliability of the Hunter irrigation components have boosted field quality, reduced closures and helped park managers focus on ground usability rather than firefighting irrigation issues.
The landscape improvements have been recognised beyond the local community. Following the irrigation upgrade, Foster Park earned New Zealand’s titles for Outstanding Recreation Facility and Best Active Park/Sportsground of the Year in 2024, a strong endorsement of the irrigation strategy and execution.
According to comments from partners in the project, choosing Hunter products for their performance and reliability “continues to be a great decision for WaterForce.”
What This Means for Your Field
Whether you manage school grounds, club fields or large community parks, irrigation should be part of the planning conversation early. At WaterForce, our focus is on pairing the right commercial irrigation tools with practical, local knowledge, so systems work reliably in Christchurch and surrounding areas like Rolleston and Selwyn.
Hunter irrigation products are a key part of what makes watering complex sites workable, but system design, layout and ongoing servicing are equally important. That’s where having local irrigation specialists matters: we understand soil types, weather patterns, usage levels, council expectations, and turf outcomes that communities and teams need.
If you’re planning an irrigation upgrade or looking to improve your sports turf outcomes, talk with us at WaterForce. We can help you explore how a tailored Hunter irrigation system can deliver performance you can count on across the seasons.
