McLean Park

McLean Park is the only major venue in the city and has been a fixture since 1911, when the land was donated by Sir Douglas McLean in memory of his father. The first Test took place in 1979, and the second followed in 1996 under floodlights, a rare sight in New Zealand at the time.

The Graham Lowe Stand was completed in August 2009, and the capacity settled at 19,700. The pitch itself is a drop-in surface, and the outfield received a major overhaul in 2018, replacing the natural grass on a clay base with a hybrid system to improve durability and drainage.

It hosts both cricket and rugby. The Central Districts cricket team and the Hawke’s Bay rugby union team play here, as have the Hurricanes and, briefly, the Crusaders after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Rugby League matches from the NRL came to the park in 2015 and again in 2023. The ground has also hosted concerts, such as Sir Tom Jones in April 2024.

The highest Test total is 619/9 dec by New Zealand against India in 2009, and the highest ODI total is 373/8 by New Zealand against Zimbabwe in 2012. Brendon McCullum holds the highest Test run aggregate (494 runs), and Ross Taylor holds the highest ODI aggregate (779 runs).