CONTEXT KEY TO A WORLD-CLASS VENUE
On the banks of the Avon and gliding along the edge of Victoria Square, Te Pae Christchurch sits proudly as a new beacon of the city. This mammoth project took some of the best and brightest to bring it to completion, and the iconic Canterbury design makes a statement as an entry to central Ōtautahi.
As Woods Bagot architect Bruno Mendes took in the view of the broad Rakaia River from the window of his plane on the approach to Christchurch, he had an idea.
Architects aim to design civic buildings that reflect their context, and Mendes seized the opportunity to take a photo (shown above) of the distinctive braided riverbed.
In contrast to most new convention centres, which tend to be square designs, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is wrapped in a fluid façade, with 43,000 speckled tiles assembled to reference our expansive river landscapes that have formed the Canterbury Plains.
The contoured profile of the building reflects the iconic Southern Alps, central to the Ngāi Tahu origin story, and the strong cultural connections also extend to artworks and other aspects of the building design.
Te Aika, a ngutu or ceremonial archway that will be used to formally welcome visitors, closely resembles the distinctive southern maihi, or diagonal bargeboards, on the Ngāi Tūāhuriri whare on the bank of the Horotueka (Cam River).
Te Pae Christchurch is New Zealand’s first purpose-built, world-class business events facility, and in terms of activation and investment, it represents the Government’s single biggest contribution to the regeneration of central Christchurch.
Despite the impacts of Covid-19 on the events sector, almost 100 bookings are confirmed for the impressive venue. Collectively those events will draw almost 130,000 locals and visitors into the city centre.
Located in the heart of the CBD, within walking distance of hotels, shops, restaurants and bars, Te Pae Christchurch is proving popular with event organisers. It’s likely to inject $60m a year into the local economy.
Business event travellers are valuable tourists – typically spending up to three times as much as leisure tourists – and many will be here filling hotel rooms and restaurants outside As Woods Bagot architect Bruno Mendes took in the view of the broad Rakaia River from the window of his plane on the approach to Christchurch, he had an idea.
Architects aim to design civic buildings that reflect their context, and Mendes seized the opportunity to take a photo (shown above) of the distinctive braided riverbed.
In contrast to most new convention centres, which tend to be square designs, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is wrapped in a fluid façade, with 43,000 speckled tiles assembled to reference our expansive river landscapes that have formed the Canterbury Plains.
The contoured profile of the building reflects the iconic Southern Alps, central to the Ngāi Tahu origin story, and the strong cultural connections also extend to artworks and other aspects of the building design.
Te Aika, a ngutu or ceremonial archway that will be used to formally welcome visitors, closely resembles the distinctive southern maihi, or diagonal bargeboards, on the Ngāi Tūāhuriri whare on the bank of the Horotueka (Cam River).
Te Pae Christchurch is New Zealand’s first purpose-built, world-class business events facility, and in terms of activation and investment, it represents the Government’s single biggest contribution to the regeneration of central Christchurch.
Despite the impacts of Covid-19 on the events sector, almost 100 bookings are confirmed for the impressive venue. Collectively those events will draw almost 130,000 locals and visitors into the city centre.
Located in the heart of the CBD, within walking distance of hotels, shops, restaurants and bars, Te Pae Christchurch is proving popular with event organisers. It’s likely to inject $60m a year into the local economy.
Business event travellers are valuable tourists – typically spending up to three times as much as leisure tourists – and many will be here filling hotel rooms and restaurants outside of our peak summer visitor season, which tends to be a quieter period for conferences and other meetings.
While it will attract significant national and international business events, some of which the city hasn’t been able to host in the past, Te Pae Christchurch will also be a great facility for locals, with expos and celebratory events.
Te Pae Christchurch will also enable successful local businesses and respected sectors to showcase their strengths to the world. Many of the confirmed events are in areas like food production, environmental science, health, and high-tech services, where New Zealand is a world leader. And, of course, locals will benefit from attending business events without the hassle and cost of travel.
Many event delegates – especially those from abroad – will bring a partner or their family. Some will stay on in Christchurch after their event or travel around the South Island, which is a ‘bucket list’ travel destination for many.
So why do many people want to attend business events in an age when so much information is available online? A conference used to be an event where you kept up to date with the latest developments in your sector, but now it is as much about building relationships. Just as we all wanted to catch up with friends and families in person after the last Covid-19 lockdown, our personal working relationships are important as well.
In the wake of the pandemic, some people may be unwilling or unable to travel to events, so Te Pae Christchurch has been designed with the technology to host hybrid events, where some people attend in person while others take part online.
Locals will have the opportunity to visit Te Pae Christchurch at a public open day in early 2022.