First steel locked into place on Te Kaha multi-use arena

Passers-by are about to start witnessing the vertical construction of Te Kaha – Canterbury’s multi-use arena – emerging further above the site hoardings, with the steel construction of the main grandstands beginning this week.

Yesterday the first steel elements of Te Kaha’s superstructure were successfully lifted into place, marking the beginning of the next phase of the project.

Te Kaha Project Delivery Chief Executive David Kennedy says now that the superstructure work has begun on the $683 million project, people will see a marked increase in the speed at which the arena rises vertically.

“Several components – the largest of which was about 12m long – were successfully lifted by crane and installed at the southern end of the western stand."

“The process went very smoothly, and from now on, people are going to see Te Kaha rapidly rise above the hoardings surrounding the site,” says Mr Kennedy.

The lengths of steel are transported to the site on semi trucks, where contractors join them together, then lift them into place using the crawler and hydraulic telescopic cranes.

“The construction of the arena bowl will continue throughout the remainder of 2023, and into 2024,” he says.

“The major concrete pours for the arena’s substructure are on track to be completed in the coming month, and the large external steel columns and tiers of all stands will begin taking shape later this year.”

Meanwhile, ground floor concrete walls and columns for the player changing facilities, groundskeepers’ rooms, amenities and corporate areas continue to progress well along the western, southern and eastern stands.

Te Kaha is expected to open in 2026 and continues to meet its budgets and timeframes. It will have a capacity of 36,000 fans for big concerts and events, and up to 30,000 seats (25,000 permanent and 5,000 temporary) for major sports matches.

For more information on the project, visit tekahaproject.co.nz

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