Designed by global sports specialists, Populous, construction of the new temporary Christchurch stadium is on schedule for completion in late March. The stadium is expected to have a life of between three and five years and stadium architects, Populous, are using fabric and graphics to embrace its temporary nature and give it a special identity.

Funding for the temporary stadium will be underwritten by the New Zealand government with support from Christchurch City Council and New Zealand Rugby Union.

The pitch is a fully drained professional quality field, and the turf has been laid, recycled and harvested from AMI Stadium. Three temporary stands are being built using galvanised steel tubes in a scaffold truss system, replacing two old stands now demolished.

The roof will consist of a white opaque fabric made of recyclable PVC. Much of the infrastructure is being recycled from other venues. There is temporary seating from Eden Park, stadium lights from Dunedin’s Carisbrook ground, and toilet and food outlets from Eden Park. Corporate boxes are being installed into custom designed, lightweight prefabricated buildings which will be lifted into place at the top of the northern stand.

The 18,000 seater stadium has the potential to increase its capacity to 25,000.