From Supercars to Super Round, Christchurch unlocks its sporting superpower

Kiwis Matt Payne, Andre Heimgartner and Ryan Wood are among the local hopes that many spectators are hoping to see take the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon.

And when the biggest show in Australasian motorsport packs up on Sunday night – a new show rolls into town.

The biggest names in Australasian and Pacific rugby assemble under one roof at the brand new One NZ Stadium for Super Round.

The first match will make history as the hometown Crusaders christen their new covered fortress against the New South Wales Waratahs.

A sellout crowd of 25,000 will be on hand for a kickoff anticipated for 14 years.

When that first whistle blows, New Zealand’s best stadium will officially be launched in the heart of Christchurch. It will provide an experience unlike any other in this country. A short walk to a plethora of bars and restaurants will mean that the entertainment doesn’t end when the game does.

On Saturday it’ll be Hurricanes, Brumbies, Blues and Reds fans’ turn to get a taste. And on Sunday it’s the Highlanders, Moana Pasifika, Chiefs and Drua followers who will enjoy everything that the premier stadium has to offer.

This is the last step in a sporting resurrection for a proud region with a rich legacy and a catastrophic disaster. After the 2011 earthquake left Christchurch with a blank canvas, there was little more left than hope.

Now the promises of artistic renderings, 3D modelling and virtual flyovers have been realised. One NZ Stadium is the biggest and most expensive ($683m) but it is not the only jewel in the region’s crown.

Hagley Oval was another anchor project of the rebuild. The replacement for Lancaster Park gave cricket a new and improved home in a superb central location.

Arguably the best cricket ground in New Zealand, Hagley Oval showed that Christchurch would be back – and better than ever.

The recently completed Parakiore Metro Sports complex cannot be claimed as a success in its construction – it took far too long for that, but the final result is undeniably grand.

An Olympic-sized swimming pool and diving facilities sit alongside nine netball, basketball or volleyball courts (among other court sports) and the high-performance facility caters for some of our most recent Olympic champions. This venue will host many national competitions and tournaments.

Ngā Puna Wai already has. The enormous sporting park includes athletics facilities, hockey turfs and grass fields that recently hosted national events for rugby league and touch rugby.

In 1974, Christchurch joined together and fully embraced the Commonwealth Games.

The venues that were used or built then had serviced the city for almost 40 years before the earthquake wiped them out. In 2026 that spirit is back and Christchurch is once again the backbone of New Zealand sport.

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