Seats installed at Christchurch stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, July 4^th, 2025

Image: One New Zealand Stadium

The first seats have been installed at One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The seats feature a kowhaiwhai pattern created by local visual artist and graphic designer Morgan Darlison (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Tainui).

Christchurch City Council Project Director Kent Summerfield says having the first seat in place is a major milestone moment for the project.

He said, “Installation of the seating is one of our key remaining workstreams and we expect the last seat to be in place late this year. The seats will be black and grey and form a pattern inspired by the hammerhead shark.”

The hammerhead shark represents strength, tenacity, speed and agility.

The stadium has a total seated capacity of 30,000, with 25,000 permanent seats, plus 5,000 more seats able to be added to a temporary stand at the northern end.

Te Kaha, also known as the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena and as the One New Zealand Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multiuse sports arena in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The venue has been designed as a replacement for the now-demolished 38,628-capacity Lancaster Park which was damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and demolished in 2019.

The One New Zealand Stadium is part of the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan developed by the Government in 2012 and is scheduled to open in April 2026.

The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan, often referred to as the Blueprint, is the plan developed by the Fifth National Government of New Zealand for the recovery of the Christchurch Central City from a series of damages caused by the earthquakes, in particular the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

Christchurch City Council said another current focus area for the project is the roof installation.

Summerfield added, “These works are progressing well, with the solid portion of the roof to the south almost complete and installation of the clear plastic product commencing this month.”

The stadium will be covered, with much of the roof made of a clear material called Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), which is installed in two layers.

“These layers form an air cushion which helps keep the bad weather out and, crucially, allows natural daylight through to support the turf growth,” says Mr Summerfield.

The stadium lighting has also been installed in the roof structure.

“After a month of hitting some major targets on site, we remain on track for an opening in April 2026 and within budget,” says Mr Summerfield.

The exterior façade will feature a pattern made up of 800m of steel sheeting in colors representing the Canterbury landscape.

The pattern references the Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula (a community Board that represents the interests of the local community), the Port Hills (mountain range in New Zealand), the Kā Tiritiri o te Moana Southern Alps (mountain range in New Zealand), and the Maukatere Mt Grey (mountain in New Zealand).

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