One day in the early 1970’s Ross Blong, a farmer with imagination as it turned out, came home from a particularly unpleasant milking and told his wife Nell he had enough and wanted to find something different to do!
After searching for a “people business” they decided on an ice skating rink in Glen Innes and purchased it in 1974. After a steep learning curve they established Paradice on the map as a great family entertainment facility in Auckland.
By 1980 they had dreams of building New Zealand’s first international size indoor arena and had it up and running by May 1981 at our current Avondale location at Lansford Cresent. It has been popular ever since with families and as a “hang out” for teens and young adults.
There have been several transformations since its opening with the most recent being completed in 2011 to include a state of the art ice floor, dasher boards and refrigeration system.
By the late 1990’s the second family generation having being heavily involved in ice sports at an international level dreamed of a second, Olympic sized indoor ice rink, again a first for New Zealand, and it was built in 1999 at its current location Botany Downs. The rink is still going strong today.
In 2012 Paradice owned and operated Auckland’s first temporary outdoor ice rink at Aotea Square which has turned into an annual winter wonderland type event with the addition of NZ’s first event ice slide in 2014. Our temporary ice rinks have expanded to events across New Zealand.
Through the years Paradice has operated as a family, customer focused friendly business with staff sharing their passion for people and ice with innovation!
At Paradice Entertainment we embrace kaitiakitanga (stewardship of the environment) as a business fundamental. It is our objective to operate in a sustainable way through increased efficiency, minimising waste and reducing consumption and supporting sustainability and environmental projects in our local area.
Paradice Entertainment is proud to be validated by Qualmark as a quality tourism business. Qualmark is New Zealand’s official tourism quality assurance organisation and recognises excellence in sustainable business practices.
Businesses are independently assessed by a Qualmark official and are awarded with a Bronze, Silver or Gold award based on their sustainable practices in health and safety, the environment, social/people and economic criteria. Only those businesses that are delivering a quality sustainable experience, who have safe principles and practices, and showcase true New Zealand hospitality, are recognised through a Qualmark endorsement.
With Paradice Entertainment, you can book with confidence and peace of mind that the experience you are paying for is one of the most high quality, safe and sustainable experiences in New Zealand.
Did you know we have a ‘Preserving Paradise’ initiative for schools in the Auckland area?
The ‘Preserving Paradise’ initiative is part of our environmental policy to support local sustainability actions.
We have on offer a family pass on a termly basis to a student in your school that shows initiative in taking action for the environment.
Please contact us at sales@paradice.co.nz if you would like your school to be part of this programme.
