One NZ Stadium heat: Operators acknowledge more work needed after 32.5C high
Operators of Christchurch’s One New Zealand stadium have acknowledged more work could be done to mitigate heat inside the venue, as parts of the stadium reached a sweltering 32.5C yesterday.
Two events were centre stage at the stadium during the long weekend, with the Rugby League World Cup held on Sunday, followed by the National Provincial Championship (NPC) between Canterbury and Northland yesterday afternoon.
MetService recorded temperatures of 24C outside on Sunday, while inside the venue it reached an average of 26C and a high of 32C.
On Monday, MetService recorded an outside temperature of 26C, while the average temperature inside the venue was 28C and the highest recorded was 32.5C.
Canterbury player Johnny McNicholl told Newstalk ZB after the game that hydration breaks “definitely were needed”.
“At the start, the first half was really hot,” he said.
“They let us know on Saturday, so two days ago, that we were going to have [hydration] breaks.
“I’ve probably lost about three or four kilos.”
Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said there was “no hiding from the fact it was really warm” – or that there was more work to be done to mitigate temperatures.
“It is safe – but it’s not particularly comfortable in some areas and we’re very, very conscious of that,” she said.
“There’s no hiding from the fact that we need to do a bit of work on this.
“We’ve got to look at the forecast event schedule coming up and look at the times of the day and where we might have any risk.
“We’ve also got to work with the council and the engineers and figure out whether there are any other permanent ways in which we can mitigate this.”
Harvie-Teare said there was a potential for making the venue unavailable at certain times of the day.
“If it is going to be warmer, we can’t be playing sport in the daytime,” she said.
“We don’t control broadcast, we don’t control the draw, but we can certainly have influence on how those decisions are made.”
Harvie-Teare said 4000 bottles of water were sold yesterday as temperatures soared, with free water also available.
“That was our biggest queue at halftime,” she said.
More than a dozen fans from US company Big Ass Fans are deployed inside the stadium to help to regulate the temperature.
However, Harvie-Teare reiterated that the fans are not just cooling fans.
“They are moving the air around, which does give you a sense of cool when you get a breeze,” she said.
Harvie-Teare said there were pitchside fans that could mist; however, these couldn’t be used before sport or when the public is attending an event, but could be used beforehand to cool the venue.
“They bring the temperature down about four or five degrees.”
Harvie-Teare said staff had “a lot more mitigation in place” during yesterday’s heat – including hydration breaks for the players.
“Our guest comfort is obviously absolutely paramount,” she said.
“We didn’t get any feedback from the players either. They certainly weren’t experiencing any barriers to their performance.”
Harvie-Teare also acknowledged that in summer, many events would be held in the evening when it would be cooler.
She also said there wasn’t a design flaw within the stadium that caused the heat.
“What we’re probably seeing is we’ve got warmer temperatures on average for this time of the year,” she said.
“We’ve got rugby that’s going a little later, like we obviously had a collision between rugby and cricket this year, which isn’t always the case.
“And we’re also looking at an El Niño summer, which we’ve got to be really cognisant of as well and perhaps wasn’t as considered.”
Harvie-Teare said guests should “treat attending the stadium as you would for any outdoor venue”.
“While the stadium is covered, the roof allows for 90% of the sun’s UV rays through to allow for grass growth,” she said.
“So, if you are sitting in the sun for extended periods, wear a hat and sunglasses, put on sunscreen, and keep hydrated.”
No formal complaints had been made regarding the heat, Harvie-Teare said.
It comes after much was made of the heat inside the stadium in Canterbury’s quarter-final against Waikato a fortnight ago.
At the time, the venue sweltered above 30C as fans flocked to the NPC quarter-final and the women’s Farah Palmer Cup final.
MetService reported temperatures in the low 20s outside, while parts of the stadium reached 25C under the roof, and areas in direct sun hit 31C.
The $683 million covered stadium opened in April, 15 years after earthquakes smashed Lancaster Park.
Construction began in April 2022, making it the largest project undertaken by Christchurch City Council.
About 4000 people contributed to the build, delivering about 2.4 million work hours.
Jazlyn Whales is a multimedia journalist based in the Christchurch newsroom.