One New Zealand Stadium to be a hive of activity

Venues Ōtautahi is gearing up to host more than 180 private and business events per year at One New Zealand Stadium when it opens in April 2026.

While sports and concerts dominate the headlines, Venues Ōtautahi, the operator of the fully-roofed Stadium, is expecting conferences, meetings, seminars, dinners, cocktail functions, and exhibitions to pack out the event calendar.

The forecasted influx of private events will be nothing new for Venues Ōtautahi who also manage and own the Christchurch Town Hall and Wolfbrook Arena, and manage the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Hagley Oval and Apollo Projects Stadium.

One New Zealand Stadium’s Ōtautahi Lounge, is 1150 square metres and can host up to 892 people for a cocktail function and 520 for a banquet dinner. For smaller events the lounge also has a divider allowing it to be split into two smaller spaces (Tahi and Rua).

The 23 suites on Level 2 provide perfect breakout rooms with capacities ranging from 24 to 74 people. The suites provide an intimate option for smaller events.

The Club on Level 3 is suitable for up to 500 people. It has its own feature bar, making it a perfect spot for cocktail functions.

The Lancaster, is in the stage pocket at the northern end of the stadium. It provides a blank canvas and an open-air feel, perfect for expos. It can also host up to 1360 people for banquet dinners and up to 2500 for cocktail functions.

For larger events, the Field of Play provides 10,660 square metres of open space, allowing banquet dinners for 5400 people or cocktail functions for 10,000.

The concourse is also available for event gatherings.

Check Out One New Zealand Stadium

Posted by Jasmine Deacon on December 16, 2025