Counting down to Te Kaha Stadium opening Christchurch City Council threatens event funding

Approaching the two-year mark to Christchurch’s Te Kaha Stadium opening in April 2026, Venues Ōtautahi has advised that building work is on track with the stadium now visually taking shape in the heart of the city and that behind-the-scenes planning is also well underway.

Providing an update on progress of the stadium, Venues Ōtautahi Chief Executive, Caroline Harvie-Teare has shared an estimate that the economic impact of the venue will be around $50 million per year for the Canterbury region. Chief Executive, Caroline Harvie-Teare, says this is a relatively conservative estimate, based on the events the new venue will attract.

In an update to stakeholders, Harvie-Teare advised "we have estimated the new venue will attract over 200 events per year, including multiple sporting events, major entertainment events and concerts and around 180 business events per year and will welcome over 500,000 guests.

“Based on what we know about the economic impact from similar events over the last few years, we believe these events will attract approximately 100,000 visitors to our city whose total spend on things such as accommodation, hospitality, and activities while they are here will bring $28 million into the local economy each year.

“When you add in other economic impacts such as Venues Ōtautahi local employment, local procurement of food and beverage and engagement of local contractors and suppliers, overall, Te Kaha will be responsible for around $50 million of direct contribution to the region's local economy once the venue is open in 2026. When you incorporate the full suite of Venues Ōtautahi venues, from this point on, we estimate this to be around $100 million.”

Harvie-Teare also indicated that business owners and employees across the region will also benefit from the stadium, both directly as suppliers and in supporting the operation of the venue, and indirectly through tourism and increased activity around stadium events.

Looking forward to the impact of the venue, Hospitality NZ Canterbury Branch President, Peter Morrison added “the last 12 years have been incredibly tough for hospitality in this region. Between the earthquakes, Covid and challenging economic conditions, it has been challenging for businesses to keep their heads above water.

“Te Kaha is exactly the injection of life we need.

“Te Kaha will attract the kind of large events we have been missing out on in Canterbury for the last decade, and this will have a significant flow-on effect for local businesses, including in hospitality.”

Uncertainty over Council’s Events Ecosystem Fund
However, Christchurch City Council is tempering expectation surrounding the venue by proposing to defer its Events Ecosystem Fund for three years to save money as part of its long-term plan. 

According to a reporting by the Newshub platform, Christchurch City Councillors will decide on Wednesday over the future of the Fund, which allows the city to bid for events.

Expressing concerns about the impact on nearby businesses, Central City Business Association Chair, Annabel Turley told Newshub "I think they'll be absolutely gutted they've already put their neck on the line with their business there with the promise there was going to be a stadium back in 2016

"It's really, really short-sighted and it's disappointing that they're even contemplating doing this.”

Images: The most recent concepts for Christchurch’s Te Kaha Stadium.