From All Black tests and Football World Cup qualifiers to big concerts and events, the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena (CMUA) will be able to host them all.

Early construction work is scheduled to start in 2021. The arena is expected to open at the end of 2024.

The Government and the Council have approved $473 million for the multi-functional arena to be built in central Christchurch between Madras, Barbadoes, Hereford and Tuam streets. 

The state-of-the-art arena will add to the central city’s vitality, catalyse further development, help re-establish Christchurch as a sporting and cultural capital and boost the city’s economy by attracting visitors from around New Zealand and the world.

The Council has allocated $253 million to the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena, and the Crown has approved $220 million towards the project(external link) from the Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Fund.

The project investment case(external link) says that in order for the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena to be competitive and attract international and national events, it needs to have:

  • A roof so it can host events all year-round.
  • Minimum seating capacity of 25,000, with the potential to add temporary seating for a further 5000 in the future.
  • A fixed rectangular turf.
  • High-quality acoustics.

Detailed design for the new arena will begin later this year once a contractor for the design and construction has been confirmed.

A number of concept designs for the arena were scoped as part of the investment case for the project.