Te Kaha (stadium)
Te Kaha, also known as the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena, and as One New Zealand Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-use sports arena in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is situated on land bordered by Hereford, Madras, Tuam, and Barbadoes streets. The facility is designed as a replacement for Lancaster Park, which was damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and demolished in 2019. The stadium is part of the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan developed by the government in 2012, and is scheduled to open in April 2026.
Progress
[edit]After many years of discussion, the city council confirmed a stadium investment case in December 2019 and cabinet approved its funding contribution in March 2020. Completion of the construction project was hoped for 2024.[1]
Construction began in January 2023 and the current planned date for opening is April 2026.[2]
On 22 July 2021, a majority of Christchurch City Council councillors made a preliminary decision last month to reduce the capacity to 25,000,[3] but councillors voted on 12 August 2021 to backtrack on that decision after it was revealed the 30,000-seat option would only cost an extra $50 million, rather than the $88 million councillors were originally advised of.[4]
Timeline
[edit]2012
[edit]In July 2012, the Christchurch Central Development Unit released their 100-day blueprint also known as the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan it included a new permanent 35,000 seat multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue as an anchor project within a scheme for a future city vision. The 6-hectare (15-acre) site is bounded by Tuam, Madras, Hereford and Barbadoes Streets. The Government took responsibility for acquiring the land needed for the stadium.
2017
[edit]The Multi-Use Arena Pre-Feasibility Study: Christchurch was requested by the then Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration Nicky Wagner and the Christchurch City Council to develop and present a pre-feasibility study for the development of a new multi-use arena. This study did not consider any options with 35,000 seats as option as it would be too expensive and the general consensus among stakeholders (except for International Rugby) was that the capacity was higher than Christchurch needed, and was prohibitively expensive.
2021
[edit]In March 2021, a consortium of businesses were confirmed as the successful tenderer for the design and construction of the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena. The group known as Kōtui is led by Australian-based stadium construction experts, Besix Watpac, Kōtui includes Christchurch-based construction companies Southbase Construction and Fulton Hogan, local seismic engineering specialists Lewis Bradford, Christchurch architects Warren & Mahoney, and global stadium design experts Populous and Mott MacDonald.[5]
2022
[edit]The name of the facility would be 'Te Kaha', a shortened version of Te Kaharoa (meaning 'enduring strength'), which is the name that was gifted by Ngāi Tūāhuriri.[6]
On 14 July, the Christchurch City Council voted to sign a $683 million contract to build Te Kaha.[7] This will require the council to invest an extra $150 million, which they plan to do by increasing rates. The council received 30,000 submissions about the stadium, with 77% being in favour.[8] Barry Bragg, the Te Kaha project delivery board chairman, said it was a fixed price contract, meaning that there will be no further increases of the cost of the project.
2024
[edit]In July, a sponsorship deal was announced, giving naming rights for the stadium for 10 years to the telecommunications company One New Zealand. The stadium is to be known as One New Zealand Stadium.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ McDonald, Liz (2 March 2020). "Crown approves Christchurch stadium funding". Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ "CANTERBURY MULTI-USE ARENA – TE KAHA – Key Dates". Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Clark, Hamish. "Design of new Christchurch indoor stadium confirmed with 25,000 seats". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ "30k seats for Christchurch stadium as decision overturned". Radio New Zealand. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ "Kōtui Consortium to design and build Canterbury Multi-Use Arena". Newsline. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ Walton, Steven (9 December 2021). "Land for new Christchurch stadium to be named Te Kaharoa". Stuff. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ Leask, Anna. "Watch live: It's going ahead! Christchurch council greenlights controversial multi-use stadium Te Kaha". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ Boswell, Ryan. "$683m Christchurch stadium gets go-ahead from city council". 1 News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "One New Zealand gets naming rights for new $683m Christchurch stadium". Radio New Zealand. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
External links
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