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Designing Ōtautahi’s New Crown Jewel: In Conversation with Architect Matt Body

The official opening of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha marks a milestone as the final anchor project in Christchurch’s post-earthquake rebuild. Designed through a joint venture between Warren and Mahoney (WAM) and global sports architecture firm Populous, the $683 million multi-use arena sets a new standard for civic infrastructure in Aotearoa.  

Project Architect Matt Body from Warren and Mahoney shares insights into his journey with the project, the technical design behind the venue, and what this opening means for the region.  

Moving Beyond Additions and Alterations

Historically, stadium design across New Zealand has evolved piecemeal—adding stands and altering layouts over decades. For Body, Te Kaha offered a rare opportunity: crafting a fully integrated, purpose-built arena from the ground up right in the heart of the central city.  

"Half the crowd is here for the players and the other half for everything else—it's inherently social," Body explains. "Our goal was to merge people and science to reinvent the New Zealand stadium experience."

Where Engineering Meets Atmosphere

The design centers on creating an intimate "Coliseum cauldron effect," placing spectators closer to the pitch than traditional venues while balancing acoustics for both roaring rugby matches and major music tours. Key features of the new venue include:  

• Sport facilities deliver significant community ROI — Studies show every dollar invested in sport and recreation returns $2.12 to the community (Sport NZ) or £4.38 (Sport England), measured across health, justice, and social wellbeing outcomes. This isn't just entertainment — it's serious public health infrastructure.
• Stadium design must balance competing demands — Te Kaha needed to serve rugby, football, and concerts simultaneously, requiring careful trade-offs like managing reverberation (good for sport, bad for concerts). Success comes from assembling the right specialist team and fostering a collaborative culture where members respect each other's priorities and pick their battles.
• Customer experience drives everything — From open concourses that reduce crowd anxiety, to short bathroom queues, to sightlines to the field even while ordering a drink, every touchpoint matters. Matt's approach of "people watching" and checking whether staff are smiling reveals that operational culture flows all the way from design decisions to the fan's experience.
• New Zealand is leading world-first turf science — Te Kaha and Forsyth Barr in Dunedin are the only two stadiums globally using fixed turf under a fully enclosed fixed roof. The underlying vacuum ventilation, pitch-side fans, and lighting rig technology has attracted attention from FIFA for the World Cup, putting South Island NZ at the forefront of stadium innovation.

A Gathering Place for the Future

More than a venue for game days, Te Kaha—translating to enduring strength—was designed as an all-electric, highly efficient hub for year-round community connection.

"It is far more than a stadium; it’s a place where collective memory is made, victories are shared, and the community gathers in moments of unity," says Body. "It reinforces the enduring connection between people and place, ensuring the stadium belongs true and well to its people."

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