Te Kaha Streets consultation to close
on 30 November

Public consultation on proposals to upgrade the streets surrounding Te Kaha, Canterbury’s multi-use arena, will finish in three weeks’ time, on 30 November at 11:59pm.

On 27 October the proposals were paused and the consultation period left open so the newly-elected Council could consider the proposed changes and suggest any potential modifications.

Council Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale says Council staff have now thoroughly briefed the new Council on the $33 million work package that will not only improve pedestrian safety and traffic management, but also replace outdated three waters networks around Te Kaha.

On-site progress update

Over the past month, on-site work has been concentrated on ground improvements using rammed aggregate piers (RAPs), with this part of the project now about 50 per cent completed.

Ground substructure and detailed work to support Te Kaha’s western stand (closest to Madras St) has begun, so that foundations - consisting of concrete and reinforcements - can then be installed. This substructure work is expected to take most of next year to complete.

As the earthworks continue across the site, the contractors will progressively implement more dust suppression measures, such as additional water cards, k-line sprinklers, polymer bonding agents, and adding grass seed to any stock piles.

What to expect over the coming months

The next six months of the Te Kaha project will be focused on improving the ground conditions so that it can support the huge structure and withstand any seismic activity in the future. 

Work will also progress on the arena's substructure (foundations and underground supports), then commence on the superstructure bowl.

Because of the huge size of the project, the different stages 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.

Q4 2022 to Q1 2023 - Ground improvement continues.

Q4 2022 - Work begins on Te Kaha's substructure.

Q1 2023 - Construction begins on superstructure bowl.