Napier has lost its hosting rights for next month's one day cricket international between New Zealand and South Africa, following the abandonment of the recent match against Australia at McLean Park.
The match has been transferred to Hamilton.
An investigation into the abandonment of the match against Australia has highlighted a need for urgent remedial work on the venue's turf, drainage, and irrigation system.
Umpires and captains Kane Williamson and Aaron Finch discuss conditions at McLean Park during the abandoned Chapell-Hadlee match. Photo: Photosport
In a statement New Zealand Cricket and Napier City Council agreed there was an "unacceptable risk" of a repeat drainage failure ahead of the South Africa game.
Napier City Council will spend $900,000 on upgrading the venue, including a complete replacement of the playing surface, drainage and irrigation system, on top of an existing commitment to build drop-in pitches, improve the lighting, and build practice facilities on site.
Patrons who had already purchased tickets for the Napier game will receive full refunds.
New Zealand Cricket chief operating officer Anthony Crummy said the findings of the investigation left few options.
"There have been shortcomings identified in McLean Park's drainage and irrigation system which need to be remedied before we can be confident of avoiding what happened in the Chappell-Hadlee fixture," he said.
"The investigation concludes that drought conditions in the Hawke's Bay necessitated significant levels of watering in the days leading up to the match which, combined with a limited drainage infrastructure and rain on match-day, resulted in a worst-case scenario.
"It's true, several measures could be employed to help mitigate this risk ahead of the South Africa match but, even then, any period of significant or extended rain in the lead-up would likely result in the same outcome.
"NZC, the Central Districts Cricket Association and the NCC agree this risk is unacceptable."
Mr Crummy noted a complete review of the McLean Park outfield was undertaken following the abandonment of the West Indies ODI in 2013, and as part of preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 - resulting in an upgrade of part of the drainage.
The latest review revealed deterioration to the drainage that could only be addressed by installing a full replacement system.
"This has been a difficult time for those involved with staging cricket at McLean Park and, not least, the cricket-loving public within the Hawke's Bay," said Mr Crummy.
Planning on remedial work would begin as soon as possible, Crummy said.
"By doing this, we can look forward with confidence to McLean Park hosting next summer's ODIs between the Blac Caps and England, and the Black Caps and Pakistan."
Napier mayor Bill Dalton said the decision was not an easy one to make, and he was "bitterly disappointed" on behalf of the fans, the players and the council.
"In essence, we have a fantastic ground in a superb location but the turf is old and has deteriorated dramatically in the face of the recent drought conditions in the Hawke's Bay.
"There are issues with the organic matter beneath the surface of the ground - issues we didn't know about and are now urgently dealing with."
