The Centre, being built at AUT Millennium on Auckland's North Shore, the official home for High Performance Sport New Zealand, will be a state-of-the-art swimming and water polo competition venue as well as a centre of excellence for Swimming New Zealand and New Zealand Water Polo,

The facility will also be open to the public in order to serve the community's growing need for public swimming space.

AUT Millennium will run its award winning Swim School and Schools Water Safety programmes from the facility, which is named in honour of Sir Owen.

Sir Owen is an expatriate New Zealand businessman and philanthropist, who supports hundreds of humanitarian causes worldwide through his family charity.

Born in Calcutta, India, his family emigrated to New Zealand in 1952 when he was 12 years-old.

In 2002, Glenn donated NZD$7.5 million ($6.37 million/£3.79 million/€4.69 million) to the University of Auckland for the development of the Business School's premises and facilities and ongoing improvements and, as a result, the business complex was named Owen G Glenn building when it opened in 2008. 

He followed this initial gift by donating an additional NZD$500,000 ($424,650/£252,870/€312,500) to establish the Barry Spicer and Owen G Glenn PhD Scholarships in 2008.

Features of the National Aquatics Centre include a 2.2 metre-deep Olympic sized 50m x 25m swimming pool, capable of hosting international level competitions, a second 1.2m deep 25m x 10m lap pool, multiple changing rooms, reception, café and offices.

When open, it will become the home of the organising bodies for swimming and water polo in New Zealand.

"The existing AUT Millennium pools are at capacity and are not suitable for hosting events," said AUT Millennium chief executive Mike Stanley, who is also President of the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

"New Zealand does not have an international standard aquatics centre and public demand for swimming, swimming lessons and water safety is significant throughout the country.

"The new centre will help fill these gaps."

The new facility is set to be named after Sir Owen Glenn following his considerable donations towards the venue's construction and development ©Getty Images



The Centre is estimated to cost around NZD$25 million ($21.23 million/£12.65 million/€15.63million) with funds raised through the Auckland Council, Sport New Zealand, New Zealand Lotteries Commission, The Lion Foundation, AUT Millennium and Sir Owen himself.

After an initial donation of NZD$100,000 ($84,930/£50,560/€62,502) which funded research into the viability of the proposed National Training Centre for High Performance Sport, Sir Owen donated a further NZD$1 million ($850,000/£510,000/€630,000) in early 2010, according to reports in New Zealand.

Sir Owen is then said to have been told that the facility needed another NZD$5.5 million ($4.67 million/£2.78 million/€3.44 million) to finish the first stage of construction and so agreed that if half the funds were raised he would contribute the second half.

During the visit to the venue today, Sir Owen said: "I am proud to be associated with this vision for the future for all aquatic sports in New Zealand.

"AUT Millennium is to be commended for their many initiatives to promote all sports in New Zealand.

"I look forward to coming back for the formal opening early next year."

Stanley added: "We introduced Sir Owen to the concept over four years ago and he immediately saw what it would do for swimming and water polo and for the youth of the area and promised a significant gift, providing we could match it.

"Happily we did and the Centre is now fast becoming a reality."

The facility is scheduled to be completed by mid-2015 with the first major international tournament scheduled for the following year when the venue will host the International Swimming Federation (FINA) Women's Youth Water Polo Championship in December 2016.

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