Te Kaha news and announcements

The latest news on Te Kaha, Canterbury's Multi-Use Arena.

Tuesday 23 May: Weekly site progress image

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from Tuam Street yesterday.

Concrete columns and walls continue to be poured and unboxed in the southwest corner, and the wall work is starting to extend along the southern stand. The vertical reinforcing steel for the ground floor concrete columns continues to extend northwards on the eastern stand. 

The poured concrete of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) is almost complete along both the Barbadoes and Madras Streets, with the major concrete pours expected to be completed next month.

As the contractors get ready to begin installing the structural steel of the western stand in the coming weeks, a new blue crane (left side of the image) has been mobilised on site.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Friday 19 May: On the cusp of the next construction stage 

Construction on Te Kaha, Canterbury’s multi-use arena, will enter a new phase in the next few weeks as the foundation work wraps up and the installation of structural steel for the grandstands begins.

Te Kaha Project Delivery CEO, David Kennedy, says the $683 million project continues to meet its timeframes and budget, with the major concrete pours expected to be finished next month.

“We are very pleased with how the project is tracking, with the major concrete pours due to finish ahead of schedule,” says Mr Kennedy.

Read more on Newsline.(external link)

Watch the new drone and site update video here.(external link)

Tuesday 16 May: Weekly site progress image

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from Tuam Street yesterday.

More concrete columns have been unboxed and more walls forming in the southwest corner, including wall work now beginning on the southern stand. The vertical reinforcing steel for the ground floor concrete columns continues to extend northwards on the eastern stand. 

The poured concrete of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) is also progressing well along the Barbadoes Street side of the site.

Concrete pours on the western stand (along Madras Street) are also entering their final stages.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Monday 15 May: NAWIC Canterbury visits Te Kaha

Late last week 20 members of the Canterbury chapter of the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) had the opportunity to take a tour of the Te Kaha site and hear a presentation from the BESIX Watpac team about the project and some of the construction methodology.

BESIX Watpac's design manager, Janelle Campbell, is part of the Canterbury chapter's committee, and organised the visit and presentation.

"Thursday's visit was an opportunity for our members to get up close with the Te Kaha project, ask questions and find out more about some of the design and construction work of this really important project for Canterbury", says Ms Campbell. 

NAWIC is a voluntary, non-profit association of women who work either in the construction industry, or for business organisations who provide services to the construction industry.

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from Tuam Street yesterday.

More concrete columns have been unboxed and more walls forming in the southwest corner, including wall work now beginning on the southern stand. The vertical reinforcing steel for the ground floor concrete columns continues to extend northwards on the eastern stand. 

The poured concrete of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) is also progressing well along the Barbadoes Street side of the site.

Concrete pours on the western stand (along Madras Street) are also entering their final stages, with the whole concrete pour stage of the project now over the halfway mark.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Monday 8 May: Emerging Safety Leaders site visit

On Thursday 4 May 2023, 20 members of the Emerging Safety Leaders (ESL) network visited the Te Kaha site.

BESIX Watpac's Health and Safety Coordinator David Parker led the visit around the site, focusing on the safety management of vertical formwork, major plant, and working with large-scale sub-contractors.

Emerging Safety Leaders supports people developing their careers in the occupational health and safety (OHS) industry in New Zealand.

It is an open forum that was established to provide these people with the opportunity to engage with, and learn from, their peers, with the hope of increasing the number of young people entering the profession.

Tuesday 2 May: Latest site image

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from Tuam St yesterday. There's been noticeable work across the site, with more concrete columns unboxed and more walls forming in the southwest corner, and the vertical reinforcing steel for the ground floor concrete columns extending northwards on the eastern stand. The poured concrete of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) is also progressing well along the Barbadoes St side of the site.

Concrete pours on the western stand (along Madras St) are also entering their final stages, with the whole concrete pour stage of the project now over the halfway mark.

The white crane arrived on site several weeks ago. This crane will service the initial superstructure works as the vertical construction of Te Kaha gets underway.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Monday 24 April: Hearings Panel makes Te Kaha streets recommendations

A Hearings Panel will recommend Christchurch City Council proceed with a raft of changes to the streets surrounding Te Kaha, Canterbury’s Multi-Use Arena so the roads can cope with huge influxes of pedestrians on event days.

The recommendation includes support for a revised version of Lichfield Street between Manchester Street and the arena.

The new version retains Lichfield Street’s current dual-direction state, while a 10km speed limit will ensure the street remains safe for pedestrians. Flexible outdoor dining spaces and loading and parking allowances have been added.

Read more on Newsline.(external link)

Monday 17 April: Foundation work is now complete on southern stand

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from Tuam Street this morning. You can see that a number of concrete columns and walls have now been unboxed in the southwest corner of the site. Read more on Newsline(external link).

Foundation work is now completed on the southern stand, and the major concrete pours are now beginning to focus more on the eastern stand (along Barbadoes St). Across the rest of the site, there's an increase in the vertical reinforcing steel for the ground floor concrete columns across the western and southern stands. 

A third crane (white in the picture) arrived on site two weeks ago. This crane will service the initial superstructure works as the vertical construction of Te Kaha gets underway.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Tuesday 4 April: Latest site image

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from Tuam St yesterday. You can see the first of the concrete columns unboxed and the walls beginning to form in the southwest corner of the site. There's more information on this work on Newsline.(external link)

Across the rest of the site, there's an increase in the vertical reinforcing steel for the ground floor concrete columns across the western and southern stands, and the poured concrete of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) now extending into the south-east corner. Steelwork is now beginning to be put in place on the eastern stand.

The red crawler crane (on the east of the site) arrived two weeks ago, joining the large 300-tonne capacity crawler crane to take care of all the heavy lifting. Both cranes are currently helping install the reinforcing, and will also be used to lift the concrete formwork and structural steel later in the project.

The all-weather surface of AP65 and AP40 gravel continues to be added to high-traffic areas to minimise mud over the winter months and manage any dust during drier periods.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Monday 3 April: Vertical construction begins!

The concrete structure of Te Kaha – Canterbury’s Multi-Use Arena – is now emerging vertically from ground, with the first of the concrete columns breaking cover today.

The first four five-metre-tall columns were boxed and filled with concrete on Thursday, then left to cure for three days before the formwork boxing was removed.

Te Kaha Project Delivery Chief Executive, David Kennedy, says the work in the south-west corner of the site signals the start of the next phase of the 30,000-seat arena’s construction.

Read more on Newsline.(external link)

Monday 27 March: Latest site image

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from BESIX Watpac's offices this morning. You can see vertical reinforcing steel for the ground floor concrete columns of the western and southern stands, and the poured concrete of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) now extending across the southern and western stands, while the steelwork is now beginning to be put in place on the eastern stand.

A new crawler crane (red in the southwest corner of the site) arrived last week, joining the large 300-tonne capacity crawler crane to take care of all the heavy lifting. Both cranes are currently helping install the reinforcing, and will also be used to lift the concrete formwork and structural steel later in the project.

An all-weather surface of AP65 and AP40 gravel has been added to high-traffic areas. This will minimise mud over the winter months and manage any dust during drier periods.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Tuesday 21 March: Timelapse video published as ground improvement work nears completion

(external link)A new three-month timelapse construction video of Te Kaha, Canterbury’s Multi-Use Arena, has been published, bringing into sharp focus the extent of the work being carried out and the magnitude of the $683 million project.

Captured from the BESIX Watpac offices on Tuam St, the one-minute timelapse documents the ground improvement works being carried out across the site, before the substructure (foundations) and major concrete pours begin from the south-west corner.

Te Kaha Project Delivery chief executive David Kennedy says the ground improvement works – where rammed aggregate piers are pushed deep into the land – is on track to be completed ahead of schedule.

Read more on Newsline.(external link)

Monday 20 March: New drone images

Last week, project management company RCP captured some great drone images of progress taking place on Te Kaha.

In this footage, you can see the ground improvement rigs nearing completion in the north-east corner of the site, and the substructure and perimeter of the 30,000-seat covered arena really starting to emerge.

Monday 20 March: Latest site image

Above is a photo that was taken of the Te Kaha site from BESIX Watpac's offices this morning. You can see vertical reinforcing steel for the ground floor concrete columns of the western and southern stands, and the poured concrete of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) now extending across the southern and western stands. 

An all-weather surface of AP65 and AP40 gravel has been added to high-traffic areas. This will minimise mud over the winter months and manage any dust during drier periods.

The large 300-tonne capacity crawler crane in the middle of the shot takes care of all the heavy lifting. It is currently helping install the reinforcing, and will also be used to lift the concrete formwork and structural steel later in the project.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Tuesday 14 March: Latest site image

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from BESIX Watpac's offices on Monday 13 March 2023.

Progress on the western and southern stands' steel framework of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) continues to progress well, and the work from the major concrete pours now extending northwards along the land that will hold the western stand, and along the southern stand (Tuam St end).

The large 300-tonne capacity crawler crane has also moved north to help install the reinforcing on this area of the western stand. Later in the project, this crane will be used to lift the concrete formwork and structural steel.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Tuesday 7 March: Latest site image

This photo was taken of the Te Kaha site from BESIX Watpac's offices on Monday 6 March 2023.

Progress on the western and southern stands' steel framework of the substructure (foundations and underground supports) continues to progress well, and the work from the major concrete pours now extends northwards along the land that will hold the western stand.

The large 300-tonne capacity crawler crane has also moved north to help install the reinforcing on this area of the western stand. Later in the project, this crane will be used to lift the concrete formwork and structural steel.

You can find a new library of previous site progress images(external link) below. 

Wednesday 22 February: Major concrete pours off to a smooth start

Seven major concrete pours have been successfully completed on-site over the past three weeks, as the substructure and foundations work gets underway on Te Kaha’s western and southern stands.

The largest of these pours was around 1000 cubic metres (approximately 160 truck-loads) and the smallest was about 300 cubic metres.

The aim is to complete two pours every week over the next month (weather permitting), with this stage of construction expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year.

Ground improvement works are ahead of schedule and entering their final stages, with the rigs now working on the land that will hold the northern and eastern stands. This work should be completed in the coming weeks.

The BESIX Watpac team continues to work on the detailed design and this will be largely completed during Quarter 2. Shop drawings have begun for structural steel, and the fabrication and testing of the buckling-restrained braces (more information on these below) is underway.

Friday 17 February: Investing in local businesses

The Te Kaha multi-use arena project has supported the upgrade of facilities at Christchurch's Holmes Solutions so that the engineering firm can test the huge buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) required for the arena’s structure.

A BRB is a structural brace designed to allow a building to withstand the forces and loadings caused by earthquakes.

Before the Te Kaha project upgraded Holmes’ BRB testing rig, there was only one facility in the world that could test BRBs to the length and high capacity that’s required for this project.

Te Kaha Project Delivery Chief Executive David Kennedy says chipping in to upgrade Holmes Solutions' facilities has both environmental and commercial benefits.

“These upgrades mean we can reduce our carbon footprint by not shipping BRBs to Taiwan for testing, significantly shortening these specific timeframes by testing the BRBs locally, and it will leave a legacy in Christchurch long after the Te Kaha project is finished,” Mr Kennedy says.

“Ours is the most comprehensive, project-specific testing programme ever conducted worldwide, and to be able to test longer BRBs at a higher capacity right here in Christchurch is a win-win result for everyone.”

Before and after the BRB testing rig upgrade