Watch: Top-secret stadium turf revealed

The last piece of the puzzle – a world-class turf – has been laid at One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha.

The turf, made up of a “top-secret” blend of seeds, has been growing offsite on the outskirts of Christchurch since March.

Subcontractor Terrafirma Turf has grown around 1.2 hectares of turf for the stadium. Over the last few weeks, it has been harvested, transported to the site and expertly laid in place. 

The turf has been harvested in rolls, each around 11 metres by 1.2 metres in size and weighing around 750kg.

The Council's Parks unit will maintain the turf into the future. Misting fans, an under pitch ventilation system and artificial lighting rigs will all help keep the turf in top condition. Temporary flooring will be used during concerts and other events to protect the turf.

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

Faces of Te Kaha: Richard Gibbs

Position: Senior Project Manager in the Parks unit at Christchurch City Council

Day to day I… am now focussed almost entirely on the completion of the field of play. My work includes assisting with setting up of equipment, machinery and turf management operational systems that will be needed once our own staff take over the management of the field of play.

Past projects: Since returning to NZ in early 2021, I have worked on the redevelopment of Lancaster Park and the Lyttelton Recreation Ground, as well as being overall responsible for the planning and delivery of the Council’s capital sports turf projects and programmes for the city’s high performance and community facilities. Previously, I have worked on multiple stadium projects in NZ and overseas, including the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, and stadiums in Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.

The best part of my job is… working with a great team of supportive colleagues, seeing past students rise to positions of great responsibility within the turf profession and seeing the enjoyment on the faces of players, spectators and stakeholders when they start to use a new facility for the first time.

Outside of work I… enjoy tinkering on my lifestyle block with my wife, playing music (the live version) and indulging in the quirky form of English folk dance known as Morris dancing.

Progress update

This month, the team took another big step towards finishing the project. The turf was harvested, transported to site and laid at the stadium. Check out the process below.

Contractors have been growing the turf off-site on the outskirts of Christchurch since March. The turf is a "top-secret" mix of three different seed varieties. It’s a ryegrass that’s hard wearing and actively growing in summer and winter.

Above is a look at the harvesting process. The harvester lifts the turf and wraps it in the protective white material as it is rolled up. Each roll is around 11 metres by 1.2 metres in size and weighs around 750kg.

Once harvested into rolls, the turf is loaded up on a truck and transported into town. We're fortunate to have excellent growing conditions right here in Christchurch. For similar projects around the world, turf often needs to be transported in refrigerated trucks a long distance, adding time, complexity and expense to the process. Around 30 rolls of turf are transported by truck at a time.

After several months spent installing the under-pitch ventilation, pop-up irrigation systems and subgrade layers, the stadium team turned their attention to laying the turf. In the photo above, one of the final rolls is being laid. 

Now that this big milestone has been reached, the team will focus on supporting the turf as it acclimatises to its new home. Looking ahead, the Council's Parks Unit will monitor and maintain the turf. Several weather stations have been installed around the stadium so conditions can be tracked and maintenance practices adjusted as needed.

There are also ten misting fans to keep the surface cool and air circulating. There's also a system under the pitch that blows air through to ventilate the root zone and keep oxygen levels up. The final component is the artificial lighting rigs which provide supplementary light.

During concerts, the turf will be covered with a temporary flooring system to avoid damage. Replacement turf is being grown off site and can be added in as needed.

Precinct works wrapping up

Stadium footpaths finished, lanes reopened

Over the last few weeks, we've been finishing the footpaths around the stadium and tying them into the stadium precinct.

Asphalt and paving has been laid along Barbadoes, Tuam and Madras Streets. Our contractors have also added street furniture, bike stands and a new bus shelter.

The work has finished up and the traffic lanes around the stadium have reopened.

Temporary construction fences will remain in place at the stadium boundary to keep the grounds secure until April.

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.

January - April 2026: The final services commissioning and testing will continue. The turf will be established. Goal posts will be installed ahead of the Super Rugby Super Round. The individual food vendors will complete their fit-out in the stands. The final building clean will take place. The venue operators will receive training and site familiarisation ahead of opening in April. The first event will be held at the stadium at Anzac weekend.