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, the average temperature inside the venue was 28C, and the highest temperature was 32.5C. Photo / Alyse Wright
On Monday, MetService recorded an outside temperature of 26C, while the average temperature inside the venue was 28C and the high was 32.5C.
It comes as the stadium operators acknowledged more work could be done to mitigate heat inside the venue.
Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast today, Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said they were “still in the defects period”.
“What we’re seeing is the variation between what’s outside and what’s inside is a bit higher than what the modelling was indicating,” she said.
“Obviously our job as the operator is to put all the mitigations we can in place, but we do need to go back to the modelling and to the engineers and go, why are the variations not in line with what we expected?”
Harvie-Teare said they would work in partnership with other agencies on the issue.
“We’ve obviously got the issue right in front of us,” she said.
“Our role is to work with the council and work with those that designed and built it and just to see if there are any defects or anything that we can do that are material – other than what we’ve got available to us operationally.”
Christchurch City Council general manager citizens and community, Rupert Bool, said the council was working with Venues Ōtautahi on options to mitigate the temperature inside the stadium.
“Venues Ōtautahi has used operational controls such as fans and extra hydration stations during events held on warmer days,” Bool said.
“Discussions will continue about further options to help reduce the heat within the stadium as required”
High temperatures on Labour Day saw 4000 bottles of water sold at One New Zealand stadium as temperatures soared. Photo / Alyse Wright
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 on Tuesday, 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.
“There’s no hiding from the fact that we need to do a bit of work on this.
More than a dozen fans from US company Big Ass Fans are deployed inside the stadium to help 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, but 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 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.
The transparent roof of the venue allows natural light to flood the stadium. Photo / Alyse Wright
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.
Jazlyn Whales is a multimedia journalist based in the Christchurch newsroom.