‘Borderline terrifying’: Big lift puts Christchurch stadium sign in place

Tuesday, 24 March 2026

One New Zealand Stadium has gained its identity after workers hoisted an 18-metre sign into place in a roughly six-hour effort into the night.

Susannah Winger, head of brand and loyalty at One New Zealand, watched the operation unfold from the top of a nearby car park on Monday night.

“It was borderline terrifying,” Winger said, recalling the sight of the oversized sign being lifted by crane. “The engineering and the people doing it — it was amazing.”

Workers closed Madras St just after 7pm when the crane crew started. The final bolts were screwed into place near midnight, with dismantling and final checks taking about another hour.

Favourable conditions helped. The stadium itself acted as a partial windbreak and Winger noted the crane's joist extended above the roofline of the stadium.

The sign will be illuminated as early as Tuesday night.

Venues Ōtautahi sold the naming rights for 10 years to One New Zealand. Details remain a commercial secret, but The Press previously reported it understood the rights deal to be the biggest deal yet in the country in dollar terms, costing an eight-figure sum.

Its previous name Te Kaha, short for Te Kaharoa - meaning enduring strength - was given to the building in 2022 by local rūnanga Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and still refers to the land and precinct.

“I'm just incredibly excited for Christchurch, and actually for New Zealand, to have such an incredible stadium,” Winger said.

“The moments and the memories that will be made, [there is] such a bright future and opportunity for it here.”