Watch: Latest look inside new stadium

From the roof to the grounds – and everywhere in between – the city’s new stadium is rapidly coming together.

A new video released today provides a look at construction progress at One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha.

In the entrance of the western stand, escalators, stairs, lifts and the glass façade are all in place. The 23 corporate suites are also nearing completion, with wall linings, joinery and ceilings in place. Many of the kitchens, bathrooms and back-of-house areas are also finished.

The installation of the roof cladding is a key focus for the team on site. This is progressing well from the southern end of the site.

Another milestone for the project, which is now less than one year until completion, is landscaping preparations getting started. 

The project remains on budget and the stadium is on track to open in April 2026.

Faces of Te Kaha: Stella Banks

Progress update

With less than one year of the project to go, many areas of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha are finished - or almost finished. Check out the latest progress shots below.

The entrance to the west stand is coming together. The escalators are being installed, and stairs and lifts are in. 

Many parts of the west stand are now finished, including the bathrooms, kitchens and back-of-house areas. The photo above shows one part of the main kitchen.

The roof cladding is progressing well. The solid portion of the roof, at the southern end of the stadium, is made up of two layers. The base layer is finished and the team is now working on the top layer. 

Much of the roof will be made of a clear material called Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), that will let natural light shine through to support turf growth. The ETFE installation is starting this week.

The exterior stairs are being built at the southern end of the site, along Tuam Street. People will use these stairs to exit from the first floor concourse.

The stadium grounds are also being prepared for landscaping. The works will tie in with the Council’s Te Kaha Surrounding Streets project, which has seen the water and roading network around the stadium undergo significant upgrades over the past year.

As part of the Open Christchurch architecture festival, a group of 20 residents took a tour of the stadium construction site in early May. The group was chosen by ballot by event organisers. 

Opportunities for larger numbers to tour the stadium will become available once construction is finished and the facility is handed over to the operators Venues Ōtautahi.

Te Kaha Streets progress update

With the major, high-impact roadworks wrapping up this month, attention now turns to minor works like traffic light commissioning, planting, street furniture installation and footpath resurfacing.

These finishing touches will be added over the next few months. A section of the brick barrel wastewater pipe under Madras Street, near the Hereford Street intersection, also requires some remediation work. This is underway and the final road resurfacing of Madras Street, between Cashel and Hereford Streets, will follow. 

Site progress photos

What to expect over the coming months

Due to the huge size of the project, different stages of work will overlap to streamline the process. That means as one phase of work progresses across the site (working from south to north), the next phase will follow closely behind it.

Q2 2025 - Roof and wall secondary steel will progress ahead of the roof and wall cladding continuing towards the north. External works around the arena will gain momentum as the external stairs are built. Internal fit-out works will continue in all stands, including bowl metalwork and handrails.

Q3 2025 - The installation of roof and wall cladding will finish. External works will continue towards the north, fit-out works will continue within the stands and final services commissioning will commence. Metalwork will continue to be installed in the seating bowl and the seats will start to be installed.