The Arataki Community Centre's opening today is a celebration of a community that refused to take no for an answer.

Community members approached the Tauranga City Council in 2009 after funding for the centre was taken out of its Ten Year Plan.

About 300 people attended the opening of the Arataki Community Centre.

They succeeded in getting the funding reinstated, marking the beginning of a consultative process between the council and community members over where the centre should go, and what it should contain.

Some of the community thinking, like its desire to place the new centre near the much maligned and graffiti-ed skate bowl, puzzled councillors.

But the community view prevailed and the centre is located in the middle of the local community, on Grenada Park, next to the skate bowl and close to Baywave, and Bayfair.

'It's right in the hub,” says community board member Paul Bennett.

'The skateboard bowl is just across the grass. Hopefully we will be able to get the youth involved in the centre, and they get a bit of respect as they get used to the facility.”

Arataki Primary and St Thomas Moore students singing at the opening.

Mount Maunganui police also support the community centre being near the skate bowl.

The police describe Arataki as ‘Socially deprived with a high penetration of youth and elderly people, two groups that traditionally don't have a strong voice on community issues.'

Police spend a disproportionate time in the Arataki area compared with other Mount Maunganui and Papamoa suburbs, with the skate bowl being the cause of some of it as a gathering point for young people.

Paul Bennett is one of about a dozen community representatives involved in the process since they first approached the council.

'I was asked to go along and meet the council, and here we are today,” says Paul.

'It's been a long process.

'I have learned a lot. I have never been involved with the council.

'It was such and eye opener and I learned a lot. It's been great just learning the different processes and how they work. Listening a lot and having a bit of a voice too.”

The YMCA set up a play area for children at the Arataki Community Centre opening.

Today's official opening began at 2.30pm, attended by a crowd of about 300 including the Mayor Stuart Crosby, councillors, local schools Arataki Primary and St Thomas Moore, iwi and community representatives.

Mai FM are supporting the event.

The $3.25 million community centre is also the council's first design and build project, built by Marra Construction.

The new centre replaces the demolished Arataki hall and amenities block on Granada Park which is accessed off Monowai Street.