Queen Elizabeth II Park
Christchurch (New Brighton), Canterbury, New Zealand
Queen Elizabeth II Park, Christchurch (New Brighton), New Zealand — opened 24 January 1974, 2 rugby league games hosted, home of Christchurch United (football/soccer), 1974-2011; also used for athletics, swimming and greyhound racing (1975-1997); no rugby league club was ever tenant — two one-off New Zealand international Tests.
Sourcing caveat: The 1990 match's attendance is given as 3,133 by Rugby League Project and 3,113 by Wikipedia — a small, unresolved discrepancy. Wikipedia's venue page also separately lists a third rugby league fixture here, Australia vs South Island (19 June 1985, attendance 6,800), which falls outside our directory's recorded 2-game count for this venue — likely because it was a non-New-Zealand-international representative match rather than a full Test, but this exclusion criterion was not independently confirmed. Floodlight status and playing-surface type were not found in any source.
Ground facts
| Opened | 24 January 1974 (Built specifically for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, held in Christchurch.) |
| Home club | Christchurch United (football/soccer), 1974-2011; also used for athletics, swimming and greyhound racing (1975-1997); no rugby league club was ever tenant — two one-off New Zealand international Tests |
| Closed | badly damaged in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake — only weeks after hosting the IPC Swimming World Championships — declared beyond repair by the council in March 2012, and demolished from August 2012 |
| Site today | two high schools and the Taiora QEII Recreation and Sport Centre (opened 31 May 2018) now occupy the site |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 2 |
| Top recorded crowd | 17,000 |
| Capacity | 25,000, expanded to 35,000 with a temporary stand for the 1974 Commonwealth Games |
| Test matches hosted | 2 |
| First rugby league match | 9 July 1989 — New Zealand 6-26 Australia, 1989 Trans-Tasman Test series (attendance 17,000, our recorded top crowd) |
| Years used | 1989–1990 |
| Location | Christchurch (New Brighton), Canterbury |
Name history
- Queen Elizabeth II Park — 1974–2012, the only name it carried
Rugby league history
Queen Elizabeth II Park hosted two Trans-Tasman/Ashes-era rugby league Tests a year apart, part of the late-1980s pattern of spreading Kangaroo and Lions touring Test matches around several New Zealand provincial centres (Christchurch, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Auckland) rather than concentrating them in Auckland, as is now standard practice. The 1990 fixture doubled as a Rugby League World Cup points match under that era's long-running 1989-1992 World Cup format. The venue itself no longer exists in any sporting form, having been irreparably damaged in the devastating February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
Built for the 1974 Commonwealth Games (athletics, swimming); later home of Christchurch United F.C. (football) and a greyhound racing venue, 1975-1997.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 9 July 1989 — New Zealand 6-26 Australia (17,000)
- 15 July 1990 — New Zealand 21-18 Great Britain, part of the 1990 New Zealand vs Great Britain series and also counting toward the 1989-92 Rugby League World Cup (attendance recorded as 3,133 by Rugby League Project, though Wikipedia's venue page gives 3,113 — a minor, unresolved discrepancy)
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Notable games played here
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| World Cup Table, 15 Jul 1990 | 1989-92 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 21-18 Great Britain |
Only matches we have full, sourced records for are listed here — other historic games mentioned above may not have a dedicated match page built yet (World Cup coverage in particular is still expanding tournament by tournament).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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