The New Zealand Government and Christchurch City Council jointly committed to constructing a new multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena, including a stadium, on NZ Government land in the city centre. The decision followed damages sustained to AMI Stadium (previously Rugby League Park) and Lancaster Park during the 2011 earthquake in NZ.
The Canterbury Multi-Use Arena will have a seating capacity for 30,000 people that can be increased to 41,000 for concerts.
The project also comprises a secondary $30 million package for upgrades to the streets surrounding the new stadium. This package will be procured separately to the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena.
Key Dates
| Aug 2017 | Project Announcement |
| Oct 2020 | RFP Open |
| Mar 2021 | Preferred Bidder Selection |
| Jul 2022 | Contract Award |
| Aug 2022 | Financial Close |
| Jan 2023 | Construction Commencement |
| Apr 2026 | Expected Construction Completion |
Funding contributions
| NZ Government | |
| Local Council | |
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In announcing an additional cost of NZ$50 million to increase the seating capacity of the stadium to 30,000 (and 41,000 for concerts) in August 2021, Christchurch City Council stated it would seek to offset some of these costs through commercial partnerships and alternative funding streams, though the remainder of these additional costs were to fall on local ratepayers. |
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Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Christchurch City Council |
| Successful Tenderer: | The Kōtui Consortium (BESIX Watpac, Southbase Construction, Fulton Hogan, Lewis Bradford, Warren and Mahoney, Populous and Mott MacDonald) |
| Related contracts: |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Aug 2017 | Christchurch Stadium Trust released a pre-feasibility study into a new multi-purpose Christchurch Arena capable of hosting sporting events as well as exhibitions and concerts. The study identified a shortlist of options, and provided recommendations on the preferred options, amenities and precinct infrastructure necessary to deliver the stadium. |
| Feb 2019 | The project was renamed to Canterbury multi-use Arena. |
| Dec 2019 | Christchurch City Council approved the investment case for the 25,000-seat covered multi-use arena. |
| Jun 2020 | Christchurch City Council issued an Advance Notice of Information, marking the beginning of procurement for design and construction of the facility. |
| Jul 2020 | Christchurch City Council issued a second Advance Notice of Information about the Design and Construction tender for the arena. |
| Aug 2020 | Christchurch City Council called for public feedback on the proposed amendments to the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan, in order to establish noise management regulations relevant to the arena. |
| Oct 2020 | A formal joint funding agreement was signed which confirmed that NZ$253 million has been committed by Christchurch City Council and NZ$220 million has been committed from the NZ Government, drawn from the Capital Acceleration Facility. NZ$57 million has also been contributed by the NZ Government to purchase land for the arena. |
| Oct 2020 | Council issued a Request for Proposal for design and construction of the arena. |
| Nov 2020 | After industry feedback, Christchurch City Council extended the RFP submission deadline to 29 January 2021. |
| Mar 2021 | The Christchurch City Council announced that RCP had been awarded the Project Manager/Design Manager contract for the project. Separately, the Government also released an RFP for the project's Principal Archictects contract, closing on 30 March. |
| Mar 2021 | The Christchurch City Council announced the Kōtui Consortium as the preferred tenderer. The Consortium will be led by BESIX Watpac and includes other constructors Southbase Construction and Fulton Hogan, engineers Lewis Bradfield, architects Warren and Mahoney and stadium designers Populous and Mott MacDonald. The Consortium entered into a Pre-Contract Services Agreement with Christchurch City Council to refine the design and submit a final price up to an agreed maximum. |
| Apr 2021 | Early works commenced through geotechnical investigations. |
| Jul 2021 | Christchurch City Council approved the design for Canterbury Multi-Use Arena which includes seating capacity for 25,000 people that can be increased to 36,000 for concerts, a U-shaped concourse, and space for a ‘stage pocket’ at the Arena's northern end. |
| Aug 2021 | Christchurch City Council announced a change in scope of the project, with the seating capacity of the stadium to be increased to 30,000 - as previously planned - and enabling an increase in capacity to 41,000 for concerts. This decision adds NZ$50 million to the cost of the stadium, which was previously approved at NZ$473 million. |
| Oct 2021 | Christchurch City Council announced updates to the key dates of the project. The designs are expected to be completed by the end of 2021, expected contract award in 2022, and construction completion expected by mid-2025. The project budget also increased to $533 million. |
| Dec 2021 | Preliminary designs for the project have been released. The designs are expected to be reviewed by Christchurch City Council in January, with the overall design process to be completed by April 2022. |
| Jan 2022 | Christchurch City Council approved the preliminary designs for the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena and instructed BESIX Watpac-led Kōtui consortium to commence work on the arena's developed design. The Council also approved the new name of the arena - Te Kaha, a shortened version of Te Kaharoa, meaning 'enduring strength' in Te Reo Māori. |
| Jun 2022 | Te Kaha Project Delivery advised Christchurch City Council that the cost of the project has increased from NZ$533 million to NZ$673 million, an increase of NZ$150 million. The expected construction completion date was also extended from June 2025 to April 2026. |
| Jul 2022 | Christchurch City Council approved the project's contract. Additionally the total estimated cost has increased to NZ$683 million. |
| Jul 2022 | Early works commenced. |
| Aug 2022 | Christchurch City Council and BESIX Watpac signed the Design and Construction contract for the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena - Te Kaha. |
| Oct 2022 | Christchurch City Council placed the proposed design for the $30 million surrounding streets package on public exhibition, closing on 30 November. The package includes improving pedestrian and cycle safety on Fitzgerald and Moorhouse Avenues, improving the connectivity of the intersection of the Manchester-Lichfield-High streets and making the necessary changes to Three Waters infrastructure. |
| Jan 2023 | Major works commenced on the project. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2022)
Sector
Social
Procurement approach
Traditional Procurement |
Location
New Zealand |
Resources
Media releases
2017/08/23 Multi-Use Arena study released (Beehive)2017/08/23 Multi-Use Arena study released (Christchurch City Council)
2018/10/13 Multi-Use Arena given funding priority
2023/01/13 Major construction to commence later this month
2018/10/26 Community workshops begin
2019/12/12 CCC approves Investment Case
2021/03/29 Kōtui consortium confirmed as successful D&C tenderer
2021/03/29 Kōtui consortium confirmed as successful D&C tenderer
2021/07/22 CCC approves new design direction
2021/08/12 CCC approves seating capacity
2021/10/22 Estimated construction timeframes confirmed
2021/12/03 Four preliminary design images released
2022/01/27 CCC approves preliminary designs
2022/01/27 CCC approves preliminary designs (BESIX Watpac)
2022/06/01 Cost increased confirmed and opening date pushed back to April 2026
2022/07/25 Early works commences
2022/07/14 CCC agrees to increase budget
