Member Catch Up: One NZ Stadium

TNZ members and staff had the privilege of going behind the scenes at the new One NZ Stadium in Christchurch, and what an experience it was!

Our group of 33 explored areas the public wouldn’t usually get to see, including the coaches’ room, security lounge and changing rooms used by teams such as the Crusaders and the All Blacks, as well as music royalty like SIX60 and Robbie Williams.

We also saw the recovery facilities, complete with hot and cold plunge pools, and got a real sense of what it would feel like to prepare before running out onto the field.

A few fun facts we learnt along the way:

• Shark-inspired seating: The stands feature a distinctive kōwhaiwhai design inspired by a hammerhead shark.
• A major milestone for Christchurch: The stadium is the final anchor project of Christchurch’s post-earthquake rebuild. With a cost of NZD $656 million, it came $26 million under budget.
• An impressive construction effort: The build involved roughly 16,400 tonnes of steel, 122,000 bolts, 600 kilometres of cabling, 1,100 glass panes and more than 80 heavy roof modules, each weighing over 75 tonnes.

We finished the evening in one of the corporate boxes with drinks and nibbles – a great opportunity for members and TNZ to catch up, connect and network.