Christchurch Stadium

I have desperately missed a Christchurch stadium. A big night out with my mates, at a world-class venue, watching the All Blacks or a world-class concert ...

I will never forget members of the England rugby team visiting Christchurch after the September earthquake in 2011. And I am happy to wait just a little bit longer for the state-of-the-art indoor stadium Te Kaha in the centre of the city, and a return to the good old days of a fun night out with my mates. Everyone it seemed wanted it built, but at what cost? They walked out onto the pitch and inspected the damage. I am very proud of what has been built - the new Convention Centre Te Pae, Tūranga the new central library, and the almost completed Metro Sports Centre with the return of a world-class 50-metre pool. Dashed were all the Rugby World Cup games for the garden city, and the Crusaders consigned to a temporary stadium with stands of scaffolding.

Christchurch city leaders have agreed to pour another $150 million into the Te Kaha stadium project budget – taking the total cost of the project to nearly ...

“Of course bars and restaurants will do well out of it, but it’s not just them – it’s the suppliers… We have an opportunity to become a national park city. About 25,000 Christchurch residents made a public submission telling the council what it should do. we’ll all be having a ball, and it’ll be just wonderful. Our ever-changing region has many exigent stories to tell. After nearly six hours of discussion and debate, councillors voted 13-3 to increase the budget and push on. “We are the second largest city in New Zealand and if we want to be relevant then there is no doubt we need a stadium of this size and quality.” “In six, seven years time, we will be sitting there… “You don’t ask the tenant to build the house, you ask the tenant to pay the rent,” he said, promising the club would pay its fair share of rent.” “We have to make sure that when we make decisions we don’t just serve the interests of being popular now, but also consider the impacts on the generations that’ll be paying for this down the track.” “In every debate there are people that are for and against it, I just want to make sure residents who perhaps have suffered from a historic lack of investment know that I’ll be strongly advocating for their interests in the future.” Donovan said it was one of the most difficult votes she had faced at council, but they now had to focus on the positive, which was the certainty it was going ahead.

Christchurch City Council has voted in favour of proceeding with the construction of a new 30000-seat stadium in the centre of the city despite cost ...

Opinion: Name them – Melanie Coker, Sara Templeton, and Celeste Donovan. But don't condemn them. They are the dissenting three, the Christchurch City ...

These are not going to be cheap, but they are essential if we are to become a sustainable, 21st century city and not a relic of the past.” “We’re told by many of those who so far declined to make a financial contribution to the stadium, we must show leadership,” Donovan said, tapping the table. This means that the feel-good factors need to be weighed up with the hard realities facing our communities.” The plans are stunning, and exceptional, she says – but “we don’t need lavish” and the investment is too risky. Yesterday’s decision binds the next council to additional debt with no plan for paying for it, she said. “Although I want to see a new stadium in Christchurch I cannot support this today,” Coker said. Ratepayers she talked to thought the city should try to live within its means, instead of borrowing more. At yesterday’s meeting, she wasn’t afraid of taking on the sacred cow of New Zealand sport. If you want the stadium to go ahead please do a submission.” They feel the council doesn’t listen to them. But many people felt the vote was a foregone conclusion. “We can’t do without this stadium, we have to have it.

The new stadium could see rates rise by $144 per year but some councillors believe they could soften the blow by asking neighbouring councils to chip in, ...

It is the long-term planning process that enables them to really look at how this is developed by way of financial strategy," she said. I don't think it's fair that ten years on from the earthquake people are still waiting for repairs," she said. We want to make sure that we get our streets fixed, particularly in the east.

The lead contractor behind the Christchurch Stadium is positive they've done the work to minimise the pricing risk. Christchurch councillors yesterday vote.

Hospitality New Zealand president Peter Morrison livened up the city council meeting on the planned Christchurch stadium with a musical number this morning.

Dalziel thanked Morrison for a "very effective" presentation. "Imagine there's a stadium, it's easy if you try," he said. In front of amused councillors, Morrison sang a version of John Lennon's Imagine to lyrics about the proposed stadium.

It was announced today that while New Zealand will stay in the orange traffic light system, anyone will be able to access free rapid antigen tests and masks.

This is the stadium that Christchurch will get for $683 million. · Councillor Melanie Coker says the economics of stadiums do not add up.

We have an opportunity to become a national park city. Our ever-changing region has many exigent stories to tell. Donovan said it was one of the most difficult votes she had faced at council. She said submitters who voted for a pause or stop on the stadium “for the most part thought [the cost] had just gone too far, putting at risk other priorities for the city”. Davidson said the $683m stadium price tag was sickening and the city was now facing “multiple years of high rate increases”. At Thursday’s meeting, Mauger said he wanted staff to go line-by-line in the council budget to find savings, saying the stadium “must not be a burden on ratepayers”.

It's Thursday, July 14 and welcome along to The Spinoff's live updates – your daily digest of what you need to know. I'm Stewart Sowman-Lund, you can get me ...

return to the city, it will be testament to what a small country at the bottom of the South Pacific, when faced with adversity, can actually do,” writes the Newstalk ZB broadcaster. Want to read The Bulletin in full? Who doesn’t want a read an article that has the word “omnishambles” in the headline? “It will almost certainly become the dominant variant in the coming weeks,” he said. “We need flexibility in order to respond to a virus that frequently changes,” Verrall said, defending the traffic light system as fit for purpose. He’s argued in his daily column that Christchurch could become New Zealand’s greatest city if officials get a hurry on and build the stadium. The Greens have called for tighter restrictions, though will likely be pleased with the plan to roll out free masks more widely. “Antiviral medications can reduce the seriousness of Covid-19 meaning fewer people need to be hospitalised.” “We believe we can get through focusing on the basics of masks, vaccination, ventilation and staying home while you’re sick,” she said. Meanwhile, Verrall confirmed that the availability of Covid-19 antiviral drugs will be expanded. now is not the time to stop wearing masks.” “The main element missing from this announcement was any expansion in requirements for mask use indoors.

Dunedin has little to fear from Christchurch pressing ahead with building its own covered stadium, community leaders say. However, reservations have resurf.

Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive Terry Davies said the new Christchurch stadium would be "just another player in the market". "The answer was 'no', but then the earthquakes happened in Christchurch and things changed," Farry said. Dunedin mayoral hopeful Bill Acklin said the planned Christchurch stadium should not be perceived as a threat. Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins said it would be at least four years before the new Christchurch stadium opened and he was confident Dunedin Venues Management Ltd would set up Forsyth Barr Stadium to remain competitive in the new environment. Forsyth Barr Stadium was completed in 2011 and the then government contributed $15 million to the $266.4 million build. Hawkins said the stadium debate in Christchurch felt familiar.

The so-called fixed-price contract with the Australian construction and civil engineering company running the project - I'm still not convinced that's going to ...

Because it is never easy going against the tide - and the tide was well and truly against them in the council meeting yesterday. In fact, not just in the council meeting. So perhaps Selwyn and Waimakariri are being kept out of it for now, in case they need to become a bit of a financial lifeline down the track. And Donovan thinks there are more important things the council should be spending money on - Bromley being one of them. So they should have skin in the game when it comes to the stadium, because they will benefit from it. I think the council made the right decision yesterday and I'm delighted that this thing is actually going to happen.