Record breaking year for Venues Ōtautahi

The Christchurch events sector is pumping according to Venues Ōtautahi, which has reported a recording-breaking $106.99million economic impact to the region.

The Christchurch City Council owned events and venues company presented its Annual Report for the 2025/26 Financial Year (FY) to Council on Wednesday on the back of the company’s biggest year, which included the opening of One New Zealand Stadium.

The estimated direct and indirect economic benefit to the region increased more than 2 and half times from the previous financial year ($41.8m). But it was just a teaser of the full transformational impacts of the stadium which featured in just 10 weeks of the reporting period (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026). The 26/27 FY will be the first to feature the impact of a full year of stadium operation.

Venues Ōtautahi Chief Executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said while the numbers served as a sample of the Stadium’s value to the region, it was a year underpinned by strong performances across VŌ’s portfolio of venues, including the Christchurch Town Hall, Wolfbrook Arena, Hagley Oval, the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, and until late April, Apollo Projects Stadium.

Across the venues, VŌ hosted 474 events, welcoming 933,962 guests, up from 408 and 718,443 respectively in the previous FY.

“We have had an incredible year all round,” Harvie-Teare said.

“Externally, there was a spotlight on the preparation for the opening of One NZ Stadium, but we were always critically aware of the importance of ensuring all the venues in our portfolio continue to shine. Each venue is unique in their own right and serve different events and hirers so we don’t expect any slowdown from them now that the stadium has opened,” she said.

But there was no denying the way One NZ Stadium has changed the organisation.

Harvie-Teare said the stadium’s opening was “the most significant step change in the size, scale and influence of the company in our history”.

“One NZ Stadium provided the most significant test of our guest experience capability in the company's history. Within weeks of opening, the venue transitioned into high-volume operation across major sport, entertainment, premium hospitality, corporate and community modes.”

“The way the city has supported this exceptional piece of infrastructure has been special.”

Venues Ōtautahi’s financial performance was also strong recording $4.16m EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization), $5.06m ahead of budget.

The organisation confirmed its financial performance as forecast meant it would no longer require Council operational funding for its venues.

“Our strategic objective has always been to maximise commercial performance in order to minimise and ultimately eliminate reliance on Council operational support while continuing to deliver the social, cultural, environmental and economic outcomes that underpin the core role of community venues,” Harvie-Teare said.

“The platform created during FY 25/26 gives us greater ability to invest in event attraction, our people, our venues, community outcomes and the future growth of the organisation while delivering increasing value to our shareholder and the people of Christchurch.”

Harvie-Teare said that VŌ’s regional economic impact for the region was a great illustration of how the value of events don’t stop at the venue.

“It permeates throughout our region activating hotels, restaurants, bars, transport providers, retailers, food producers, suppliers, contractors, boosting the wider visitor economy,” she said.

“It also continues to validate what is core to how we do business, our longstanding celebrate and source-local philosophy. The scale of our business means decisions around what and where we buy create meaningful and material economic benefit in their own right.”

VŌ reported 83 percent of food served across its portfolio of venues was sourced from within Canterbury and 73 percent of contractors were local businesses. Those accounted for $13.71m in direct economic benefit contributing to the wider estimated direct and indirect economic benefit figure.

On the back of the strong financial results, the organisation provided community discounts across 57 events, to the value of $201,000.

Across the venues, Christchurch Town Hall continued to hold the mantle as the busiest venue for volume of events, hosting 290 events (202,884 guests), while Wolfbrook Arena hosted the most guests with 301,488 across 58 events.

Apollo Projects Stadium wrapped up its final year of operation with 117,460 through the gates across 15 events. Hagley Oval delivered 37 events and welcomed 32,031 guests and the Air Force Museum delivered 36 events and welcomed 30,308 guests. There were also three events delivered by VŌ Mobile.

One NZ Stadium’s first 10 weeks saw 35 events, and 249,191 guests through the gates. Those figures did not include the likes of the venue’s first All Blacks test which features in the 2026/27 financial year.

May was the busiest month with 58 events, just outshining October (55) and November (53). May was also the highest month for attendance with 181,610 people across all venues.

Business and private events continue to maintain the highest volumes with 58 percent of events, while ticketed events accounted for 30 percent and community events for 12 percent.

Venues Ōtautahi’s workforce grew by 70 percent, from around 500 people in FY24/25 to 849, with around 475 additional staff recruited and trained to open One NZ Stadium while events continued across the rest of the portfolio. With this number increasing to 933 as of today, (819 casual staff and 114 permanent), this makes VŌ one of the largest employers in the South Island.

Young people make up the majority of the casual team, with 58 percent aged between 15 and 24.

“In a tough employment market, particularly for young people, we’re proud to be giving hundreds of rangatahi a start, real responsibility and skills in guest service, hospitality and event delivery that will stay with them wherever their careers take them,” Harvie-Teare said.

Permanent staff turnover was just 6.83 percent, against an industry standard of 25 percent.

Harvie-Teare said it was exciting times ahead with a focus on significant growth across all venues.

“Venues Ōtautahi is a materially different organisation to the one that entered the year. We have a larger portfolio, greater commercial capability, a significantly expanded workforce, stronger partnerships, a greater economic footprint and an unprecedented platform from which to grow our contribution to Christchurch and Canterbury.

“This is just the beginning.”

Read the full Annual Report