One New Zealand Stadium
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand — opened 27 March 2026, 4 rugby league games hosted, home of primarily a rugby union venue (Crusaders, Canterbury NPC, and Matatū from the 2026 season); the New Zealand Warriors (NRL) played their first-ever home game in Christchurch here in 2026 — no permanent rugby league tenant.
Sourcing caveat: Our recorded total of 4 rugby league games in 2026 is confirmed for 3 (the Warriors-Cowboys NRL match plus the two 2026 World Cup fixtures); a fourth game could not be identified in sources found. The final score of the Warriors-Cowboys match was not found.
Ground facts
| Opened | 27 March 2026 (Groundbreaking was April 2022; main construction ran January 2023 to early 2026.) |
| Home club | primarily a rugby union venue (Crusaders, Canterbury NPC, and Matatū from the 2026 season); the New Zealand Warriors (NRL) played their first-ever home game in Christchurch here in 2026 — no permanent rugby league tenant |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 4 |
| Top recorded crowd | 25,365 |
| Capacity | 25,000 permanent seats (sports configuration), expandable to 30,000 with temporary seating; up to around 37,000 for concerts |
| Surface | natural grass, grown locally in Christchurch and installed in late 2025 on an interchangeable tray system typical of roofed multi-purpose rectangular stadiums |
| First rugby league match | 21 June 2026 — NRL Round 16, New Zealand Warriors vs North Queensland Cowboys (final score not found), the first-ever NRL match played in Christchurch and the Warriors' first home game there in the club's 30-season history — a reported sellout of 25,365, our recorded top crowd, and the city's highest rugby league attendance since 2003 |
| Years used | 2026 |
| Location | Christchurch, Canterbury |
Name history
- Canterbury Multi-Use Arena — an early planning-stage working name
- Te Kaha — given in January 2022, a Māori name ("the strength") gifted by Ngāi Tūāhuriri, still used alongside the sponsor name
- One New Zealand Stadium — since a July 2024 ten-year naming-rights deal with telco One NZ — commonly written "One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha"
Rugby league history
Built to replace Christchurch's earthquake-destroyed AMI Stadium/Lancaster Park (itself built on the former "Rugby League Park" site, Canterbury's traditional rugby league venue), this brand-new, fully-roofed rectangular stadium is primarily a rugby union and concert venue. Its rugby league use so far has centred on a marquee Warriors "away-from-Auckland" home game and hosting New Zealand's home leg of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup — a men's and women's double-header (Kiwis v Cook Islands; Kiwi Ferns v France) confirmed as New Zealand's only home fixtures of that tournament, and part of the NZRL/NRL's ongoing strategy of taking Warriors and international fixtures to secondary New Zealand markets outside Auckland.
Primarily a rugby union venue (Crusaders, Canterbury NPC) and concert venue; hosted All Blacks Tests in 2026.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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