Crusaders fans at the opening of Te Kaha One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on Friday, 24 April, 2026.
Photo: Joe Johnson /www.photosport.nz
Fresh economic figures from Christchurch’s recent Super Round weekend shows returning the event to the Garden City next year is “a no brainer”, Te Kaha operators say.
Super Rugby Pacific’s festival round over Anzac Weekend marked the first event for the pristine $680 million central city venue One New Zealand Stadium.
This year’s round – consisting of five Super Rugby games across three days – had received largely glowing reviews with more than 73,000 fans through the gates over the long weekend.
It was also a marked improvement on the previous three editions held in Melbourne, which were all played in front of meagre crowds.
Figures released on Wednesday by the city council’s economic development agency ChristchurchNZ showed the long weekend in April was an economic windfall for the Garden City.
According to the agency, Super Round weekend generated $13.1m of visitor spend into Ōtautahi.
The result was more than double the conservative $6.1m figures projected.
Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare told RNZ she was proud of how the weekend unfolded.
“I think you could tell from everything that you felt and saw around the city, it was buoyant, it was full of pride and everyone was having a fabulous time,” she said.
“I think it was written all over everybody’s faces.”
Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The weekend attracted more than 20,000 visitors from outside of the Canterbury region, including nearly 4000 international visitors.
The report said total visitor nights of over 49,000 also outperformed the 34,000 total estimated.
Although the host of next year’s Super Round was still to be confirmed, Christchurch was well positioned for a Super Round sequel.
“It’s a no-brainer from my perspective. I think it’s ticked all the boxes and then some,” Harvie-Teare said.
“One of the main drawcards is the fact that the venue and the location in the city and all things about the city worked perfectly for that event. And it’s a city and a venue that nobody else can replicate.
“It felt a lot like the [Wellington Sevens] of old, that real festival type of vibe.”
Rugby fans pour into an autograph session in Christchurch ahead of the Super Round at the new stadium.
Photo: RNZ / Stan McFerrier
Whilst talks about the event’s future were continuing behind the scenes, administrators in other centres had also expressed hosting interest.
In the week following Super Round, Blues chief executive Karl Budge spoke of his eagerness to bring Super Round to Auckland’s Eden Park.
In response to the latest report, Super Rugby Pacific chief executive Jack Mesley said Christchurch’s numbers showed Super Round’s impact extended “well beyond the stadium”.
“The sell-out crowds, quality of rugby and atmosphere across the three days made Super Round a memorable occasion for fans and teams alike,” he said.
“It’s a great demonstration of how rugby can bring people together and create real value for the communities that host our biggest events.”
Jack Mesley during the 2025 Super Rugby Season Launch at Little Bay Beach in Sydney.
Photo: Matt King/Getty
Christchurch acting mayor Victoria Henstock said the weekend was “an historic moment”.
“Bringing the city to life for this event included 10 team signings, live site activations and the Fan Trail to the stadium which demonstrated the city’s ability to provide a real festival atmosphere.
“Our rebuilt and revitalised vibrant city centre was made for major events like this.”
The subsequent offering of events at One New Zealand Stadium had also been highly sought after.
Six60 and Synthony’s double-biller show last month lured a sold-out crowd of 36,000.
The Crusaders’ four home games following Super Round had all been played in front of bumper turnouts.
Sport fans would continue to be spoilt for choice over the coming weeks.
Next weekend’s Super Rugby Pacific grand final could still be played in Christchurch – although this was reliant on both the Crusaders and an unfancied Blues outfit winning semi-finals on the road this weekend.
The Warriors make their Te Kaha debut on Sunday week when they face the Cowboys in their NRL Round 16 clash in front of another capacity crowd.
Christchurch will also host the first All Blacks test of the year next month against France, as part of the inaugural Nations Championship.
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