Christchurch stadium: Most submissions in decade

6:30 pm on 5 July 2022

Christchurch City Council has received the largest amount of submissions on a public consultation in a decade regarding the future of a long-awaited stadium.

In just over three weeks 29,200 submissions were received, with almost 4000 of those being in the last day.

The largest number of submissions received by the council prior to this project was its 'Share an Idea' consultation following the 2011 earthquakes.

The consultation was sparked by a $150 million price hike for Te Kaha stadium, announced by the council last month.

The projected price tag is now $683 million, with higher costs stemming from inflation, supply chain issues, and workforce shortages.

Residents expressed whether to push ahead with an increased budget, pause the project and reevaluate the design, or abandon the stadium altogether.

Locals have already fought for the stadium, handing in a petition with 11,000 signatures demanding for the number of seats to remain at 30,000 seats.

It came as councillors proposed a reduction of 5000 seats to cut costs.

Consultation for Te Kaha closes at 11.59pm tonight, and councillors will decide on the stadium's future next Thursday.

Christchurch stadium building site and illustration indicating design of new stadium.

Photo: RNZ / Supplied

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