The Golden Oldies Sports Celebration was announced this week to take place in Christchurch in April, 2018.
This is just two months after the Masters Games takes place in Dunedin.
The event in Christchurch will be the first time all sports in the Golden Oldies stable come together.
Christchurch will host 10 sports: rugby, football, softball, hockey, netball, basketball, cricket, squash, golf and lawn bowls.
It is hoped to attract 9000 athletes to the event with up to 70% of the athletes to come from overseas.
Christchurch last held a Golden Oldies event in 1995 with 6000 participants competing in a rugby festival.
Event director Peter McDermott said the idea for the event came from a suggestion by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority that an event such as this would be good for the city.
He had not talked to the organisers of the Masters Games in Dunedin about a possible conflict between the two events but he felt they were different events.
"The Golden Oldies event is very, very social while Masters Games is more structured,'' he said.
"Golden Oldies has no trophies, has no awards and rules are changed to suit the players. We do not see it as a conflict with Masters Games.''
It was very much an international event and traditionally focused on players older than 50, while masters games attracted younger people.
The last Masters Games in Dunedin took place earlier this year and drew about 6000 people and was deemed a success by organisers.
Other towns and cities have organised events like the Masters Games to try to attract people to their region while the World Masters Games is set to take place in Auckland next year.
The Masters Games will take place in Wanganui next year before returning to Dunedin early in 2018.
Games manager Vicki Kestila said it was great to have the new event in Christchurch.
The events did not conflict each other, she said and could stand alone.
"With Dunedin hosting the 2018 New Zealand Masters Games in February, sports enthusiasts now have two big events in the South Island to look forward to that year,'' she said.
"The 2018 New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin is already shaping up as one of the best yet, with over 60 sports and more than 300 separate events expected to be on offer.''
She said the Masters Games had its own feel which attracted so many competitors to return.
"What really makes the Masters Games in Dunedin stand out is the vibrant atmosphere, entertainment and emphasis on social interaction with fellow competitors in the ever-popular games village.''
