The central city multi-use arena, Te Kaha, is due to open in April 2026 and will host everything from All Blacks tests to big concerts and events. It will include 23 food and beverage outlets to cater for everyone's appetite.
Said Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare: "Te Kaha has 23 retail food and beverage outlets in the design, encompassing 13 different types of retail offerings, all celebrating the wonderful food of the Canterbury region with over 90 per cent of all produce being sourced locally. With offerings to suit every visitor for every occasion, this is a significant step up in the variety of food that will be available.
"Our team is carefully crafting a culinary offering that is accessible and affordable, but also innovative and inherently local. There will be something for everyone, from family-friendly options to high-end corporate menus, and all of it will celebrate and support Waitaha Canterbury farmers, growers, and suppliers."
Venues Ōtautahi executive chef Dan Shanks said the goal is to procure most of the products and ingredients from within Canterbury.
"Why wouldn't we? We have some of the best produce in the world right here on our doorstep and, when you think about the landscape of this region, from the high country and coast to the peninsula and the plains, we have huge diversity of product too. That means that we are able to create a food and beverage offering that is almost entirely locally sourced, which is an awesome thing for Cantabrians to be able to say about their new venue," Shanks said.
"Even when you buy your hot chips and hot dog, you can rest assured that the chips have come from a potato grower in Rangitata, and the hot dog is locally produced just down the road in Woolston. We are also ensuring our menus take account of what we cannot source locally. For example, we do not grow rice here in Canterbury so you won't find any rice-based dishes at Te Kaha, but we do have an incredible range of grains grown right here so we will utilise those instead. This will be a true showcase of the Canterbury region, the best of local and the best in class."
Harvie-Teare said the location of Te Kaha's food and beverage outlets will ensure easy access and flow.
The ground floor and level one concourses will have retail outlets around the entire perimeter, each with an uninterrupted view of the field of play and unhindered access around the concourse. Three will feature bars within the main GA concourses and will have views of both the field and across the city.
The dual frontage design of the bars will maximise the serving area and ensure swift customer service. Te Kaha will also contain a premium hospitality lounge, 23 suites and 104 open corporate reserves, with carefully crafted menus.
