Wolfbrook Arena is an indoor arena in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the suburb of Addington. Opened in September 1998, it has gone through a series of name changes, most recently in 2023, when Wolfbrook Property Group purchased the naming rights.. When it does not have a naming rights partner, the venue is known as Christchurch Arena
Description
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 of Auckland's Vector 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. It has over 6,700 seats for sporting fixtures, which can increase to over 7,000 for concerts.
The Sports and Entertainment complex is located adjacent to the Addington Raceway and Christchurch 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.
History Construction company Chas S Luney Ltd built the stadium. The arena opened in September 1998 at a cost of NZ$32 million. In the first ever sporting match at CBS Canterbury Arena, the Canterbury Rams basketball team suffered a close loss to the Wellington 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.
Westpac Arena, which had previously been named WestpacTrust Centre, was renamed CBS Canterbury Arena on 18 June 2010. It was renamed Horncastle Arena on 23 July 2014, then Christchurch Arena on 19 September 2020. It was renamed Wolfbrook Arena, after sponsor Wolfbrook Property Group, on 1 June 2023.
Sporting home teams Canterbury Rams (1999–2007)"Basketball returns home to Cowles", Christchurch City Council, Media Release 29 September 2007. Christchurch Sirens (2007) Canterbury Flames (2002–2007) Mainland Tactix (2008–present)
Events
Entertainment events Entertainment events at Christchurch Arena Year Date Nationalities Artists Events 1998 12 September United States Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour 1998 27 November United States Janet Jackson The Velvet Rope Tour 28 November 1999 14 August United States Creed 2002 27 November United States P!nk Party Tour 2003 18 February United Kingdom Cliff Richard Wanted World Tour 19 February 2005 22 February United States Cher Living Proof: The Farewell Tour 6 October United States Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business Tour 20 November United States Kelly Clarkson Breakaway World Tour 2007 3 July United States Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy World Tour 8 August United States Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour 2007 15 September United Kingdom Snow Patrol Eyes Open Tour 16 October Australia PowderfingerSilverchair Across the Great Divide Tour 25 November United Kingdom Muse Black Holes and Revelations Tour 2008 7 May Ireland Westlife Back Home Tour 12 September United States Disturbed Indestructible Tour (Music as a Weapon) 28 October United States Stevie Wonder Wonder Spring Summer World Tour 2008 2009 22 February United Kingdom Iron Maiden Somewhere Back in Time World Tour 2010 16 February United States Faith No More The Second Coming Tour 1 March United Kingdom Cliff RichardThe Shadows The Final Reunion Tour 5 March United States Paramore Brand New Eyes World Tour 8 April United States Carole KingJames Taylor Troubadour Reunion Tour 21 September United States MetallicaThe Sword World Magnetic Tour (Metallica)Warp Riders Tour (The Sword) 22 September 3 November Canada Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen Tour 2008–2010 2011 10 February United Kingdom Sting – along with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Symphonicity Tour 10 May United States Disturbed Asylum Tour 20 November New Zealand Hayley Westenra Paradiso 10th Anniversary Homecoming Tour 2012 10 April Australia Reece Mastin Australia and New Zealand Tour 19 August United States Slash Apocalyptic Love World Tour 6 November United Kingdom Mumford & Sons 2013 20 February United States Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Note: This show was organised as a student-only event by the University of Canterbury Students' Association, it was originally planned to be held at the Ilam Gardens but the event has since been re-located to allow extra tickets to be sold. 23 February Australia Reece Mastin The Summer Nights Tour 10 October IrelandUnited Kingdom One Direction Take Me Home Tour 14 December Canada Leonard Cohen Old Ideas World Tour 2014 20 March United States Lionel Richie All the Hits, All Night Long 22 March United States Nine Inch Nails Twenty Thirteen Tour 10 September United States Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour 2014 2015 8 April United Kingdom Ed Sheeran x Tour 21 April Puerto Rico Ricky Martin One World Tour 10 September United States Imagine Dragons Smoke + Mirrors Tour 2 October United States Maroon 5 Maroon V Tour 2016 29 April United Kingdom Iron Maiden The Book of Souls World Tour 28 July Australia Troye Sivan Blue Neighbourhood Tour 30 July United States Macklemore & Ryan Lewis The Unruly Mess I've Made Tour 18 August(1 Show) rowspan=4 colspan=2 Disney on Ice: Magical Ice Festival 19 August(2 Shows) 20 August(3 Shows) 21 August(3 Shows) 29 September United Kingdom Ellie Goulding Delirium World Tour 2018 24 April United States The Killers Wonderful Wonderful World Tour 2020 5 March Norway A-ha Hunting High and Low Live Tour202225 NovemberUnited StatesThe KillersImploding the Mirage Tour202423 OctoberUnited KingdomThom YorkeEverything (tour)202515 MayUnited StatesZZ TopElevation Tour26 AprilUnited StatesTotoDogz of Oz Tour7 OctoberUnited StatesTeddy Swims30 NovemberScotlandLewis Capaldi202613 FebruaryNew ZealandLordeUltrasound World Tour21 AugustUnited StatesAlex WarrenFinding Family on the Road22 August7 NovemberNew ZealandStan WalkerA Symphonic Experience21 NovemberUnited StatesRise Against and Dropkick Murphys20271 MarchScotlandSimple MindsV Tour 202712 MarchCanadaBryan AdamsRoll with the Punches World Tour 30 July Ireland Westlife The 25th Anniversary World Tour31 July
Sporting 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 the Tall Blacks and Silver Ferns respectively. It was the host of the 1999 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 hosted WWE professional wrestling tours, featuring the SmackDown and ECW brands. It again hosted a WWE event in September 2017, this time a Raw branded event.
Other uses 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 and One New Zealand Stadium . The combined facilities regularly host a variety of different events.
The venue is also used for big gala dinners, lunches, balls, and cocktail parties.
See also List of indoor arenas in New Zealand
References
External links
Venues Ōtautahi – venue manager for Christchurch Arena. Lists upcoming events and allows to take a virtual tour of the Arena