Stadium wars: Christchurch’s covered stadium gives it advantage over Wellington

Tuesday, 18 February 2025

Wellington’s Sky Stadium will be left in the cold when Christchurch’s new one opens next year, as artists and promoters favour covered stadiums, event promoters say.

Christchurch’s $683 million One New Zealand Te Kaha stadium is due to open in April 2026, ending Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr stadium’s reign as the South Island’s top indoor sports and concert venue.

However, Wellington’s Sky Stadium could also suffer from the competition.

Event promoter Stuart Clumpas said artists and promoters would find Auckland and Christchurch more attractive options if they had only two New Zealand dates to work with and wanted one in the North Island and one in the South Island.

“To a certain extent its unlikely that Christchurch would be an artist’s only New Zealand show, but could be if nowhere was available in Auckland.”

Te Kaha had a roof, whereas Wellington’s Sky Stadium did not and economically Wellington felt “a bit more pessimistic” than Christchurch, where there was growth and more business optimism.

“Christchurch I feel is on a bit of an upswing because of the [earthquake] rebuild. Out of disaster good things grow. It feels optimistic and growing. You’ve got a big new city centre how good is that,” Clumpas said.

In the space of just three days before Christmas, four Wellington hospitality venues announced they were either closing or had been sold and there were other high-profile closures throughout the year.

Clumpas said different factors were at play though because Wellingtonians generally had different music tastes to Cantabrians.

“When Radiohead played at the Spark Arena in Auckland there was a massive Wellington contingent. Bon Jovi, Chris Stapleton, or someone like Luke Combs would do well in Christchurch, or Bryan Adams is a good example. Christchurch loves a good rock and roll night out.”

Promoter Manolo Echave said various factors came into play when deciding where to hold an event.

“It will come down to how enthusiastic the local community is. Councils put incentives in front of promoters to use their venues because they understand the economic impact is very favourable to the local community.

“Since Covid, Christchurch has put its hand up over almost any other city.”

ChristchurchNZ, the city’s economic development agency, can call on an annual fund from the city council to help it bid for major events to the region.

Caroline Harvie Teare - chief executive of Venues Ōtautahi, which will run One New Zealand stadium - said it would be the most premium stadium in the country.

“I don’t know what it means for Wellington, but having a roof does help artists and promoters have certainty around weather.”

Dunedin would “understandably be nervous” and the two would certainly compete.

“The reality is, the artists won’t go to Dunedin and Christchurch. If they have a choice, it will be Christchurch.”

Harvie-Teare said One New Zealand stadium would be a state-of-the-art venue with wonderful acoustics far superior to those at Forsyth Barr.

Christchurch’s international airport with long runways meant gear could be flown in directly, while large concerts sets and rigging must be trucked to Dunedin from Christchurch, she said. Dunedin also had far fewer accommodation options.

However, if artists were going to Auckland and then choosing between Wellington or Christchurch, transportation was cheaper to Wellington than Christchurch, she said.

Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington stadiums have similar capacities, but Wellington just edges ahead with a capacity of up to 45,000, compared to 36,000 in the southern cities.

Sky Stadium chief executive Warrick Dent said the new stadium would be great for Christchurch.

“The addition of a stadium to the New Zealand market will give event owners and promoters another option.

“We have a long history of attracting and hosting major sports and entertainment events, and we will continue to focus on bringing great events to Wellington and providing exceptional experiences here at Sky Stadium.”

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said Wellington’s “compact, walkable city centre” had a unique appeal that set it apart from other cities.

“We’re a hub for arts and culture, with world-class museums, theatres and a vibrant live music scene,” she said.

“We believe that by focusing on our unique strengths and continuing to invest in our city, Wellington will remain a top destination for visitors and a wonderful place to live.”