Christchurch’s new stadium opens in 44 days… so where are the big artists?

Wednesday, 11 March 2026

With 44 days until the gates open at Te Kaha, the race is on to secure global superstars. While sporting events are locked in, the stadium's operator hints at a major mystery music announcement coming next week.

The countdown is on. One New Zealand Stadium (Te Kaha) opens in just 44 days, a long awaited crown jewel for a city that has spent more than a decade waiting for a major venue to return.

Sport is locked in at the $683 million venue, with major fixtures already crowding the calendar.

But when it comes to concerts, some fans fear Christchurch is being skipped by the biggest international artists heading to New Zealand this year.

All that is confirmed so far is Six 60 and New Zealand regulars, the Foo Fighters.

Aerial view of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha in Christchurch, taken 45 days before it officially opens for its first major event.

The council owned operator insists they’re on track.

Venues Otautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare points to strong momentum in other areas, saying: “With 19 ticketed events out there in our programme, you’ll see Eden Park’s got three ticketed events, Hnry Stadium’s got 4, Go Media stadium has one, Forsyth Bar have got none, FMG have got none.”

Despite that, Stuff hit the streets to find plenty of nervous locals.

“I definitely hope there’s way more than that,” said one student.

“I feel like we have seen them quite a few times in NZ, it would be nice to see some other international artists that we do not get.

Venues Otautahi CEO, Caroline Harvie-Teare.

“We want them all here… I feel like not enough artists come down to Christchurch.”

Meanwhile, Auckland continues to secure names for this year like Olivia Dean, Lily Allen and Guns N' Roses, and none of them have added Christchurch to their itineraries.

Harvie-Teare says fans should not panic. 'Don't fret.. it's a really strong pipeline, obviously there's plenty of things that we're working on that we can't talk about.. and that's hard.. look I'm from Christchurch.. I know what it feels like over the past few years that we've had to pack our bags to go to concerts.'

Sport is locked in at the $683 million venue, with major fixtures already crowding the calendar.

She also teased that the first major announcement is close. 'We have got a very exciting announcement coming next week.'

So who do fans want to see? The answers come quickly: Dom Dolla, Taylor Swift, Drake, Bad Bunny, Coldplay. Or as one fan insisted: “Swifty!!!”

Venues Otautahi says Christchurch’s 37,000 seat stadium is smaller than Eden Park, but that may not be a disadvantage. She says size is not everything, it’s what you do with it.

One New Zealand Stadium’s grand opening weekend is set for April 24–26.

'Yes we do not have the biggest stadium however when you think about what is happening around the world, you are seeing more residency kinds of concerts.. so the likes of Harry Styles… he will be doing six or seven in one location and so what we have got with the roof, what we have got with a higher end offering.. you can get a much higher ticket yield.'

Stuff asked if Harry Styles was next week’s announcement but got a firm no.

“We can’t say anything yet, but it’s exciting.”

Naming sponsor One New Zealand has committed to a decade long and commercially sensitive but no doubt very costly deal. One NZ spokesperson Nicky Preston says they’re confident of a strong future.

“Good things take time so we are sure that the One NZ stadium will be full of great acts as we go along…. we are backing the stadiums for at least 10 years… up until 2036 so over that time I am sure the city will be full of many epic events the city will be proud of.”

Christchurch knows better than most that good things take time. And now the city is waiting to see which global stars will finally take the stage.