Central city, Facilities  |  27 Jan 2022

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Preliminary designs for the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena have been approved, clearing the way for work to begin on the next phase of the design development.

“We are delighted with the preliminary designs for the arena and feel confident that we are on track to having a world-class arena in the heart of our city,’’ says Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

“Today we have instructed the Kōtui consortium to begin work on the developed design for the arena. Once the developed design phase is completed, we will then be in a position to approve a Design and Construction contract.

“We are still working towards the goal of having early construction works on the site begin by April.''

Four preliminary design images for the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena were released before Christmas.

Today three more preliminary design images were released, showing the scale and size of the arena in the context of the central city.

See all the designs.

The images were created by Christchurch-based architects Warren & Mahoney and international stadium design experts Populous, who are part of the Kōtui consortium.

“It’s clear that the Kōtui consortium, the CMUA board and Council staff have left no stone unturned in their commitment to deliver a preliminary design that will be the pride and joy of Cantabrians during a challenging time globally,” the Mayor says.

At today’s meeting, the Council also approved a new  name - Te Kaha - for the half-a-billion-dollar facility. 

Te Kaha is a shortened version of Te Kaharoa (meaning ‘enduring strength’), which is the name that Ngāi Tūāhuriri gifted to the land bounded by Madras, Hereford, Barbadoes and Tuam streets.

CMUA Project Delivery Ltd Board Chair Barry Bragg welcomed the Council’s approvals, saying the project has taken a crucial step and the teams are now able to progress to the next design phase, including looking at how the cultural narrative can be blended into both the precinct and the arena.

“Te Kaha is going to be a magnificent asset, not only for Christchurch and Canterbury, but for all of New Zealand,” Mr Bragg says.

“With the preliminary design and new name now approved, we can begin those important conversations on how we incorporate the cultural narrative and the name, Te Kaha, into the design of the physical structure.”

The venue will include a total 250 metre of food and beverage outlets, a function lounge with a large terrace overlooking the field, 23 corporate boxes, increased user experience for people with disabilities, and a premium general area in the western stand.

With the closest of the 30,000 seats just six metres from the field of play, and an average seating bowl angle of 33.5 degrees, Mr Bragg says the Kōtui consortium has placed a heavy emphasis on ensuring the arena maximises the patron experience.

Large roller doors at the northern end of the arena will enables concert and festival crews easy access to a large concrete staging area. When not used by musical acts, the stage will be able to hold 5,000 temporary seats.