Watch: Te Kaha construction hits halfway mark

As the construction of Te Kaha, Canterbury’s Multi-Use Arena, reaches the halfway mark, Project Director Kent Summerfield shares an update from site.

The roof of the west stand is now in place. This four-storey stand contains function spaces, the player facilities, corporate boxes, and the coaches’ and media facilities.

The steel framing in the northeast stand is now complete, and the concrete seating plats installation in this area are soon to be completed. The seating plats will support the arena’s tiered seating.

The project remains within budget and on track to open in April 2026.

Progress snapshot

There's no sign of slowing down as the team hits the halfway mark on the Te Kaha construction. Check out a few key progress stats below. 

Faces of Te Kaha: Brian Hayes

Position: Project Director – Construction NZ 

Day to day... I work within a large team on the build side of the project. My job involves managing the team, forecasting ahead, and working on mitigation strategies for anything that comes up. 

The best part of my job: I always wanted to work in construction, so I’m really enjoying what I do. I like being with people and trying to get the best out of them. 

Past projects: I worked on the North Queensland Stadium, the home of the Cowboys. It’s great to work on a project that you can come back to and enjoy. I’ve also worked on some high-end residential developments on the river in Queensland. 

Outside of work... I like to keep fit with a bit of cross fit, a bit of mountain biking and keeping my kids occupied.  

What to expect over the coming months

The next six months of the Te Kaha project will see work continue on the superstructure bowl, and work begin on the first elements for the roof.

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.

Q2 2024 - Structural steel to the northwestern stand bowl will progress. Radial roof column trusses will continue to be installed around the perimeter of the arena. Roof cantilevers will begin to be installed ahead of the roof steel erection that spans across the field of play. Internal fit-out works will progress to all stands. Concrete seating plats will be installed progressively to the east stand and also to the west stand.

Q3 2024 - Radial roof column trusses will continue to be installed around the perimeter of the arena. Roof cantilevers will continue to be installed ahead of the roof steel erection that spans across the field of play. Internal fit-out works will progress to all stands. Concrete seating plats will continue to be installed progressively to the north stands, west stand and low levels of all stands.