Christchurch’s new stadium ‘on schedule and on budget’
Monday, 18 March 2024
Canterbury’s multi-use stadium, set to bring in major sports, cultural and music events, is “on schedule and on budget”, its project director says.
The Christchurch City Council released a March update showing a bird’s eye view of Te Kaha’s progress, revealing the structure taking shape in Christchurch’s central city.
“Pleased to say we’re currently on schedule and on budget,” BESIX Watpac project director Adrian Jones said.
BESIX Watpac secured the stadium build contract at a fixed price of $683 million in 2022. It’s set to be completed in mid 2026.
Floors are being installed, seating plats - to hold the tiered seating - are being put in place, and the large roof supports are slowly being put in position around the arena.
“The level three concrete floor is being installed and the top of the steel is currently at level four, which is the coaches and media facilities,” Jones said.
The assembly area for the arena’s radial truss roof supports is also full of life.
Each radial truss is about 37m tall and weighs between 45 and 75 tonnes. Due to their size, the trusses must be assembled on-site, before being lifted into place by crane.
“The first four are installed and another 36 will be installed all the way around the arena, and will hold up the permanent roof,” he said.
The concrete seating is progressing around the south stand into the eastern stand, which backs onto Barbadoes St.
“In the next couple of weeks you’ll see the white steel [which supports the plats] progressing along the eastern stand and to the northwest stand.”
The covered stadium will have capacity for 36,000 fans during big concerts and events, and up to 30,000 seats - 25,000 permanent and 5000 temporary - for major sports matches.
Of the total cost, $200m has come from central government. Ratepayers’ contributions, spread over 30 years, will peak at an average of $4 a week this decade.
A recent review by Venues Otautahi estimated the stadium could pump $50m into the region’s economy.
Chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said the figure was based on holding 200 events a year, including concerts, sporting and business bookings.
But she said the most significant impact of the stadium would be on quality of life.
Half a million people were expected to attend Te Kaha events each year, of whom 100,000 would be visitors to the city spending a total of $28m on accommodation, food and drink, and activities, she said.
Adding in local employment and supply of goods would bring that to “around $50m of direct contribution to the region’s local economy once the venue is open in 2026”.