We’re upgrading the streets and water network around One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha.
Christchurch’s South-East Central neighbourhood will soon hold the most modern, state-of-the-art, stadium in the southern hemisphere. We need to upgrade the surrounding streets so that they’re prepared for the increased activity the area will experience when One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha opens in April 2026.
The Te Kaha Surrounding Streets package of works covers a range of upgrades to the transport and water infrastructure in the streets around the area. The project includes widening footpaths, slower speed limits, landscaping, pedestrian crossings, changing the travel direction of some streets, and upgrades to the water infrastructure. Work is underway and will be completed in 2025. Read the start works notice(external link).
The project will cost around $34 million, with $11.4 million of this earmarked for the necessary water supply, wastewater and stormwater pipes that are at the end of their life.
This entire package of work was approved as part of the Council’s Long Term and Annual Plans and is separate from the $683 million budget approved for the construction of the stadium.
Intensive works continue on the streets around One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, as crews push to wrap up the bulk of the high-impact works. Cobblestones are being installed in the intersections around the stadium, and preparations are underway for the final layer of asphalt to be laid on Barbadoes Street, Tuam Street and Madras Street. This stage will start in early April and is expected to wrap up in May. Read the full progress update in our latest newsletter(external link). Contractors, Isaac Construction, have been engaged to carry out the Te Kaha Surrounding Streets package of works. Temporary traffic management will be in place throughout the works, including detours, lane closures, reduced on-street parking, and other measures. You can find the latest traffic management information(external link) on the Isaac Construction webpage. Thank you for your patience while this project is delivered. The work will help pave the way for Christchurch’s new stadium and future proof the transport and water infrastructure for the growing south-east central neighbourhood. Temporary traffic management will be in place throughout the works. This including detours, lane closures, reduced on-street parking, and other measures. You can find the latest traffic management information(external link)(external link) on the Isaac Construction webpage.
We're upgrading the water supply and wastewater infrastructure around the Te Kaha Precinct. Works are taking place on: Parts of the pipe network in the area are due for replacement and other elements are being upgraded to support the new stadium.
Transport works started in August 2024 on sections of the streets immediately around the stadium: The works involve widening footpaths, adding pedestrian crossings, and installing new streetlights and traffic lights. These transport works are happening alongside stage one and three.
The last stage of transport works will take place on the streets that lead to the block containing the new stadium: Stage three is taking place alongside the stage one and two works detailed above. The final stage of works involves converting Lichfield Street (Barbadoes Street to Fitzgerald Avenue) to a two-way system. Tuam Street, between Barbadoes Street and Fitzgerald Avenue, will be converted to a one-way system. These two blocks include spaces for charter buses and rideshare services to support One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha. Pedestrian and cycle improvements are also being made on Madras Street, outside the Ara Institute of Canterbury campus. The Te Kaha Surrounding Streets project is entering the final intensive phase. Several road and intersection closures, as well as night and weekend works, will take place over the next few months. Major works will start to wrap up in May 2025, around six months ahead of schedule. Several permanent road layout changes will also soon come into effect. Around the start of March, Lichfield Street east of the stadium will be converted to two-way, allowing traffic to flow both ways between Fitzgerald Avenue and Barbadoes Street. One block south, Tuam Street will be converted to one way shortly after, making all of Tuam Street eastbound within the central city. Read more on Newsline(external link). Our contractors are pulling out all the stops to hit some key milestones ahead of the holiday period. Work will pause from Friday 20 December, with most traffic management (road cones, signs and barriers) removed from the site. Read the full project update(external link). The final portion of transport works around the city’s new stadium has received the go ahead. Read more on Newsline(external link). Christchurch City Councillors are set to decide how to proceed with the final stage of roading upgrades around One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha. The Council applied for funding for a third stage of planned works and has since received advice from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi that the funding is unlikely be granted through the National Land Transport Programme for the 2024-27 period. Councillors will consider a report recommending that stage three proceeds as planned at their meeting on Wednesday 6 November. The report also outlines options to delay the stage three works until after the stadium opens or cancel them altogether. Read more on Newsline(external link). A 57-hour marathon of works will see water upgrades at the intersection of Manchester Street and Lichfield Street largely completed in one weekend. The intersection will be closed from 9pm on Friday 18 October until 6am on Monday 21 October to excavate and replace aging water pipes. Read more on Newsline(external link). Christchurch City Councillors today voted to carry out upgrades to the transport network on the streets immediately around Te Kaha, Canterbury’s Multi-Use Arena on Tuam, Barbadoes and Madras Streets, as well as some essential works on Lichfield Street west from Madras Street to Manchester Street. Works are already underway to upgrade the water infrastructure to future-proof the network for the surrounding neighbourhood. These works also serve the new stadium, which is on track to open in April 2026. The transport elements will take place directly following the water works. Read more on Newsline(external link). The future of street upgrades around Te Kaha (One New Zealand Stadium) will be decided next week. On Wednesday 21 August, Christchurch City Councillors will meet to consider a report recommending stage two – upgrading the streets around the stadium, and Lichfield Street West – starts immediately. The report also outlines options to either delay the transport works until after NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has released its decision around funding a portion of the transport works or proceed with the water elements only. Read more on Newsline(external link). Work to upgrade the water network around Te Kaha (One New Zealand Stadium) is about to begin. From Monday 29 July, detours and lane closures will be in place around Barbadoes Street, Madras Street and connecting side streets between Gloucester Street and Ferry Road. In August, work will ramp up and there will be traffic management for the duration of the works into 2025. The work will help pave the way for Te Kaha while future-proofing the water infrastructure in the area for residents and businesses. Read the latest newsletter for more details(external link). Work on essential water upgrades around Te Kaha, Canterbury’s Multi-Use Arena, get underway this month. Our contractors, Isaac Construction, have been engaged to upgrade the pipes and water infrastructure around the stadium. The team will be on site from next week until early 2025 completing the water works. From Monday 15 July Isaac's team will be on site scoping the works ahead. Construction begins in early August. Temporary traffic management measures will be in place throughout the works. To learn more about the project and its impacts, view the work notice(external link). Work on essential water upgrades around Te Kaha, Canterbury’s Multi-Use Arena, will get underway in late July. Contractors Isaac Construction have been appointed to carry out the works which include upgrading the water supply and wastewater infrastructure around the arena on Lichfield, Madras and Barbadoes streets. Read more on Newsline(external link). In late July 2024, we held two meet-the-contractor sessions. This was an opportunity to meet the project team involved in delivering this package of work, get an overview of the work ahead, and ask questions. To accommodate as many people as possible, we held one session in person and one online. A recording of the online session is below. If you were unable to attend either session but would like to speak with the team, please don't hesitate to get in touch at 0800 472 222 or tekaha.streets@isaac.co.nz. Consultation on the Te Kaha Surrounding Streets package of works(external link) was held from 10 October 2022 to 30 November 2022. We received feedback from 1,214 individuals, businesses and organisations during the consultation period. Hearings took place in April 2023. The Council's Finance and Performance Committee approved the plan(external link)(external link) on 28 June 2023. The approved plan included a revised, hybrid option for Lichfield Street(external link) between Manchester and Madras Streets. The refined option will see it retain its current dual-direction state, but with a 10km speed limit to ensure it remains safe for pedestrians. The upgrade to Lichfield Street West will cost $4.5 million; this is $1.2 million more than the original option, which would have transformed the street into a one-way, pedestrian-safe road.
Latest news - Final asphalt preparation underway
26 March 2025
Traffic management
Work area map
Stage one - Water network upgrades
Timeline: July 2024 to early 2025.
Stage two - Transport works
Timeline: August 2024 to late 2025.
Stage three - Transport works
Timeline: November 2024 to late 2025.
Previous project updates
26 February 2025
13 December 2024
6 November 2024
1 November 2024
14 October 2024
21 August 2024
16 August 2024
26 July 2024
11 July 2024
24 June 2024
Meet the contractor sessions - watch the recap
Consultation
