 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Wolfbrook Arena" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 The arena, under old signage, in August 2019 | |
 Interactive map of Wolfbrook Arena | |
| Former names | Westpac Trust Centre (1998–2007) Westpac Arena (2007–2010) CBS Canterbury Arena (2010–2014) Horncastle Arena (2014–2020) Christchurch Arena (2020–2023) |
|---|---|
| Address | 55 Jack Hinton Drive Addington 8024 Christchurch New Zealand |
| Location | 55 Jack Hinton Drive Addington,Christchurch Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°32′45″S172°36′4″E / 43.54583°S 172.60111°E /-43.54583; 172.60111 |
| Owner | Venues Ōtautahi |
| Operator | Venues Ōtautahi |
| Capacity | Netball: 7,200 Concerts: 9,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1998 |
| General contractor | Charles Luney |
| Tenants | |
| Christchurch Sirens (WNBL) (2007) Canterbury Flames (National Bank Cup) (2002–2007) Canterbury Rams (NZNBL) (1999–2007) Mainland Tactix (ANZ Championship) (2008–present) New Zealand Breakers (NBL) (2003–2004) 1999 World Netball Championships | |
Wolfbrook Arena is an indoor arena inChristchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the suburb ofAddington. Opened in 1998, it has gone through a series of name changes, most recently in 2023, when it was renamed fromChristchurch Arena.
Wolfbrook Arena is New Zealand's second-largest indoor arena, with a maximum capacity of 9,000 (depending on event type); it was the largest until the construction ofAuckland'sVector Arena in 2007. The indoor stadium hosts concerts, exhibitions and sporting events. Provision for international sport and traditional indoor arena events was integrated into the design requirements.[citation needed] It has over 6,700 seats for sporting fixtures, which can increase to over 7,000 for concerts.
The Sports and Entertainment[clarification needed] complex is located adjacent to theAddington Raceway andChristchurch Stadium and is surrounded by 3,000 car parking spaces. The complex is only 10 minutes from the city centre.
It has been affectionately dubbed 'The Woolshed' by Canterbury Rams basketball fans. Some Christchurch citizens colloquially refer to the arena as the horseshoe, due to its unusual architectural exterior design.
Construction companyChas S Luney Ltd built the stadium.[1][failed verification] The arena opened in September 1998 at a cost ofNZ$32 million. In the first ever sporting match at CBS Canterbury Arena, theCanterbury Rams basketball team suffered a close loss to theWellington Saints 86–81 in April 1999.
It was built for two main reasons: primarily for the 1999 Netball World Cup in Christchurch, and also because Christchurch was missing out on many concerts and other attractions because it did not have a suitable indoor arena in the city.[citation needed]
Westpac Arena, which had previously been named WestpacTrust Centre, was renamed CBS Canterbury Arena on 18 June 2010.[2] It was renamed Horncastle Arena on 23 July 2014,[3] then Christchurch Arena on 19 September 2020. It was renamed Wolfbrook Arena, after sponsor Wolfbrook Property Group, on 1 June 2023.[4]
It has hosted a number of different sporting events, including home matches for the Canterbury Rams (basketball),New Zealand Breakers (basketball) and Mainland Tactix (netball) teams. It occasionally hosts international basketball and netball fixtures featuring theTall Blacks andSilver Ferns respectively. It was the host of the1999 Netball World Championships. It has hosted many non-regular sporting events, including various celebrity tennis matches, ice shows, disabled games,karate championships and gymnastics competitions.
In 2007 and 2008 the arena hostedWWEprofessional wrestling tours, featuring theSmackDown andECW brands. It again hosted a WWE event in September 2017, this time aRaw branded event.
The arena plays a key role in the Christchurch economy, hosting annual trade shows, including the Christchurch Home Show, Women's Lifestyle Expo, Armageddon Expo, and the Go Green Expo.
Christchurch Arena is managed by Venues Otautahi, the venue management company that also manages the Christchurch Town Hall, Apollo Projects Stadium, Airforce Museum of New Zealand and Hagley Oval Pavilion. The combined facilities regularly host a variety of different events
The venue is also used for big gala dinners, lunches, balls, and cocktail parties.
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|