Te Pae events delayed to late 2021

Events planned for Christchurch’s new convention centre are being rescheduled with the complex not in business until the second half of next year.

Crown rebuild company tãkaro, which is in charge of the $475 million project, said yesterday Te Pae would be finished in mid-2021 and its first events will be held in the second half of the year.

Before the Covid crisis, the complex had been on track to open in October this year. After having to shut the worksite during lockdown, then socially distance workers, the project has struggled to bring in specialised overseas workers due to the border closure.

Tãkaro chief executive John Bridgman said that once the building was completed, a commissioning period would be needed before the first events were held.

He said that while Covid-related disruptions might change the timeline, he was optimistic of Te Pae functioning by this time next year.

An exact opening date and details of the first event would be confirmed closer to the time, he said. Te Pae general manager Ross Steele said they had ‘‘already begun working with clients affected by today’s announcement’’.

Many clients were choosing to postpone their events, ‘‘particularly those international events who also remain affected by the border closure’’, Steele said.

Te Pae had 67 confirmed or contracted events on its books, ‘‘but that may change over the coming weeks as we talk further with those clients who need certainty as to our opening date’’, Steele said.

‘‘We are committed to working closely with them to ensure they can continue to host their events in Christchurch.’’

He said there were also more than 100 events ‘‘in the business development pipeline’’. Steele said those events, if secured, had the potential to bring an additional 85,000 guests and $100m to the city.

Te Pae is being funded by the Crown and being built by Australian company CPB. Venue and event management company ASM Global has been contracted to run the facility. Bridgman said the effects of Covid on construction had been ‘‘major’’, and he described the construction market as tight with uncertainty ahead.