Vincent Community Board chairman Jayden Cromb said work on the new turf was undertaken as a part of the council’s previous long-term plan.
A lot of users had complained that the turf had reached the end of its useful life, he said.
"Plenty of kids playing hockey here have fallen over slipping around because the drainage underneath wasn't great either and the traction on it was terrible."
Mr Cromb said the $345,000 price tag might sound like a lot but the work to remove the old turf, replace the concrete, improve the drainage and deal with the roots of trees ensured the turf would last a long time and the community would get value for its money.
"So it's obviously a really good update of a really well-used facility."
Members of the community will be able to play tennis, pickleball and field hockey on the turf.
With hockey being a growing sport in Central Otago, it was important for young people to have spaces to use, Mr Cromb said.
"It's been marked out for kids to be able to play hockey and practise hockey on in the weekends."
There were also nets for tennis, which was popular with older members of the community, and markings for pickleball.
"Still not 100% sure what that [pickleball] is, but apparently it's becoming very popular. "
The new turf at Pioneer Park was one of a few projects in Central Otago aimed at improving sports turfs around the region.
Omakau had an upgrade of its turf last year, and the council was consulting the community about installing full-sized turfs at Dunstan High School and Maniototo Area School.
"So that's obviously happening in the hockey world, and there's always conversations going on about other sports and what we can do better," Mr Cromb said.
