Let’s talk turf: Hi-tech grass rolled out to transform Christchurch’s new stadium

Tuesday, 16 December 2025

For months, the new Christchurch stadium has stood as an impressive concrete and steel shell looking largely naked on the inside. Now, with nearly a hectare of specially world-class grown turf laid across its floor, the venue is finally dressed up for its debut.

The turf installation at the One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha marks a critical milestone for the $683 million project ahead of its April opening.

“Instantly the stadium has been transformed,” said Dr Richard Gibbs, Christchurch City Council senior project manager and turf specialist. 'It's very much the green icing on the cake.“

The grass, grown off-site on Christchurch's outskirts since March by subcontractor Terrafirma Turf, consists of what managing director Chris Lewis dubbed a 'top-secret' blend of three seed varieties. He says it is a ryegrass, selected for durability and year-round growth.

The once-bare stadium bowl has been transformed with lush specially grown turf at Christchurch’s new stadium.

Workers harvested the turf in massive rolls — each measuring 11m by 1.2m, weighing around 750kg — and transported 30 rolls per truck-load to the stadium site, where it was laid in place over the ventilation, irrigation and gravel drainage systems.

Dr Richard Gibbs, senior project manager and a turf specialist at Christchurch City Council, speaks during a media tour.

“The turf is exciting because it's the most advanced piece of turf property in the country,” Gibbs said.

One of the numerous weather stations positioned inside and outside the stadium.

The vacuum ventilation system, which is a network of pipes beneath the grass, can blow air through the layers of soil. Te Kaha is the first stadium in New Zealand to have such a hi-tech system, Gibbs said, while it is common in big overseas stadiums.

Weather stations will monitor light levels, temperature, humidity, and soil moisture. Some are buried underneath the pitch, and others are on tripods.

Groundskeepers will use ten misting fans to regulate temperature and air circulation, while 14 artificial lighting rigs will supplement the natural light, let in though the translucent roof as needed.

Turf installation marks a key step as the stadium prepares to welcome sport, concerts and crowds.

Several irrigation sprinklers will water the grass to keep it growing, plus a lot of mowing will keep the day to day staff busy.

So how about its toughness? Can it handle the weight of an All Blacks or Black Ferns engine room getting to work?

An artificial lighting rig operating to supplement the natural light let in by the stadium’s translucent roof.

“You can't rip it, it'll be as tough as a telephone directory, for those who know what those are,” Gibbs said.

In heavy science words, the reinforced carpet-based hybrid system, about 40mm thick, makes the turf extremely durable. It has a thin base and several centimetres of green blades of fake grass layered into sand, organic compost and the dwarf perennial rye grass seed.

In simple terms, the end result feels lush to touch - grassy, even, and nicely cut short.

Mark Baker, chief executive of construction company BESIX Watpac, said his favourite stadium element is seeing the complex steel structure on display.

Kent Summerfield, Te Kaha project director for Christchurch City Council, said the health and durability of the turf is “absolutely pivotal” to the venue’s operation.

When concerts or other non-sporting events are scheduled, large tiles will be brought out to protect the turf from the extra crowds.

Fans are used to regulate temperature and air circulation.

With the turf and most of the 25,000 permanent seats now installed, the major construction project is entering its “winding down” phase.

The bulk of construction is due to finish in the “next few weeks”, Summerfield said, but some physical work will carry right through to early April while the council focuses on operation readiness in the final months.

“[That means] stress testing some of the systems - so cooking a few thousand meals in the kitchen and getting a few thousand people through the turnstiles - making sure that technology works,” he said.

Mark Baker, chief executive of construction company and lead contractor BESIX Watpac - based in Queensland, Australia - called the project 'the pinnacle of stadiums and venues' his company has completed, citing challenges including seismic requirements and the fully enclosed design.

'When people sit here and watch the All Blacks beat the Wallabies, they can also look up and admire some of the complexity that's gone into this,' Baker said, noting more than 90% of the workforce was local.

The council’s parks unit will maintain the turf, while the overall project remains on budget and on track to open in April.