$13.1m Super Round visitor spend more than double original estimate

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Visitors spent more than double the conservative estimate of $6m during the Super Round held at Christchurch’s new One New Zealand Stadium.

Super Round visitors to Christchurch spent $13.1m, blowing the original estimate out of the water and prompting the question — should Christchurch host the rugby tournament every year?

Fans, families and tourists from around the world flocked to Christchurch to attend the city’s One NZ Stadium inaugural event, the New Zealand Super Rugby Pacific Super Round, and figures released today from Fresh Info, an economics consultancy company, reveal the multimillion spend doubled the $6m estimate.

The $6m figure had been the “best guess” for the three-day event, ChristchurchNZ visitor economy general manager Anne Newman said.

ChristchurchNZ visitor economy general manager Anne Newman says there were discussions on whether the city would host more Super Rounds but she couldn’t confirm anything.

“New Zealand had never hosted a Super Round like this. It obviously came in way above that, now that’s the bench mark.”

Visitor spend is calculated on any new money coming into the economy from outside Christchurch city boundaries.

The rugby festival attracted 42,310 unique attendees; some went to more than one match, adding up to 73,187 attendances.

The more than 40,000 visitors spent about $309 each.

Hospitality NZ Canterbury President Jeremy Stevens welcomes events like Super Round to the city, bringing a welcome boost to the normally quiet winter season.

Domestic attendees from outside the city amounted to 16,570, with an additional 3,924 international visitors, including those from the USA, UK and Australia.

The $13.1m is almost $1m shy of the amount visitors spent at Electric Avenue, the two-day music festival held in Hagley Park in February that led to 80,000 visitor nights compared to the Super Round’s 49,600.

Newman said she would “definitely” like to see Christchurch host the rugby festival again.

“We’re in discussions at the moment, but can’t confirm anything.”

The event was a boost for accommodation and hospitality venues, she said, “and that coupled with Supercars the week before, that whole super week really showed Christchurch has got the capability to deliver events of this calibre”.

Venues Otautahi CEO, Caroline Harvie-Teare says the stadium has “set the tone” for what it and the city is capable of.

“You only had to be around that week to feel the buzz in the city.”

Leading into winter when hospitality notices a downturn in patrons, the event brought a welcome increase in punters, Hospitality NZ Canterbury President Jeremy Stevens said.

“It’s been a long time coming, we were all … looking forward to it.”

He said events like the Super Round “help us get through the shoulder season and colder months” prompting a prediction for the coming summer to be the “best summer we’ve had for a long time”.

The stadium was a “true asset,” Stevens said.

One New Zealand Stadium has had close to quarter of a million people through it in the seven weeks since it opened, Venues Otautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said.

“It’s really set the tone for what the venue and city is capable of.”

She said Christchurch’s stadium was “the best place of all the cities” to host the Super Round due to its location and being under cover.

“We would be well-placed to be a regular Super Round hoster.”