Parakiore tipped to make a big-money splash for city economy

Saturday, 20 September 2025

Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre is tipped to attract thousands of athletes and supporters to Christchurch each year.

Christchurch’s $500 million Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre is projected to deliver tens of millions of dollars each year to the city – and could rival the new stadium in economic benefit.

The complex includes a 50m competition pool, diving towers and multi-sport courts under one roof, a scale unmatched in New Zealand and second only to Sydney in Australasia.

It is expected to draw everything from national swimming championships to secondary school tournaments and world masters events, with those visitors injecting millions of dollars into the city.

Some city leaders believe its value could rival or even surpass that of Te Kaha stadium.

“They’re going to have two million visitors a year that are going to go through that place,” said Annabel Turley, chairperson of the Central City Business Association.

“It’s going to have more economic impact, probably, than the stadium.”

The three-pronged strategy

Parakiore, expected to open towards the end of the year, is one of three anchor venues designed to transform Christchurch into New Zealand’s premier events city, alongside Te Pae convention centre and Te Kaha stadium.

Together they form a strategy to attract year-round visitation and smooth out seasonal dips in the city’s hospitality and retail trade.

“What those three venues allow us to do is host events year-round, rather than just in summer. That evens out the seasonality that makes retail and hospitality so volatile,” said Loren Aberhart, general manager of destination and attraction at economic development agency ChristchurchNZ.

Te Kaha, Parakiore and Te Pae are designed to complement each other rather than compete. Each captures a different slice of the visitor economy.

Loren Aberhart, ChristchurchNZ’s general manager of destination and attraction, says multi-day sports events bring groups who stay longer and spend more across the city.

“For a sporting event, spending tends to be more hospitality-focused, and people often add on tourism experiences depending on the length of the event. Because sports are cheaper to attend than concerts, visitors often have more disposable income to spend,” Aberhart said.

The stadium is likely to focus on fewer events but higher-value returns, built around rugby tests, international concerts and marquee fixtures, and will be home to the Crusaders.

Parakiore, by contrast, is about volume and breadth. With an expected two million visits annually, it will attract everyone from local schoolchildren learning to swim to international athletes competing at national championships and masters tournaments.

The Canterbury Rams are also expected to play games at the venue, giving basketball fans another reason to pack the stands and adding to the regular calendar of events.

What Parakiore might be worth

Te Pae, which opened in 2021, has already hosted hundreds of conferences, delivering tens of millions of dollars in economic benefit through international delegates.

Te Kaha, due to open in April, has a detailed feasibility study underpinning its $683m business case. That modelling projected a single All Blacks test would be worth about $7m to Christchurch, while a major international concert could deliver between $10m and $15m in local spending.

Crown Infrastructure Delivery (CID), which is managing the construction of Parakiore, and Christchurch City Council, which will run the facility, both said they do not have an economic impact report for Parakiore.

Parakiore is one of three anchor venues, alongside Te Pae and Te Kaha, designed to transform Christchurch into New Zealand’s events capital.

Without an official report, the value of Parakiore can only be gauged by comparison. Other sporting events in New Zealand show how much money large gatherings of athletes and supporters can bring into a city.

The Zespri AIMS Games, a multi-sport tournament for intermediate students in Tauranga, pumped $8.78m into the local economy in 2024. Organisers said the event also generated more than 40,000 visitor nights.

The Special Olympics National Summer Games, being staged in Christchurch this year, show the kind of impact Parakiore could have.

More than 1200 athletes are competing, alongside 490 team officials and about 750 volunteers, with several hundred family supporters expected as well.

The new facility is tipped to attract thousands of athletes and supporters to the city each year.

Most are staying four to six nights. On conservative estimates, that means 2500–3000 participants plus families.

The council said there had been strong interest in using Parakiore for national, South Island and regional competitions, with multi-year partnerships and individual events being finalised soon.

Evaluations by economists Fresh Info show domestic event visitors spend about $205 per night, while international visitors spend $157 but stay longer. A 2000-person championship could therefore deliver several million dollars in spending, depending on the mix of attendees.

The multi-court arena will be home to community sport and professional fixtures like the Canterbury Rams.

Mayor Phil Mauger has already hinted the city is close to securing a Masters Games-style event in 2030.

On the Gold Coast, the 2025 Pan Pacific Masters Games attracted more than 15,000 athletes and thousands of supporters for 10 days of competition. A similar event in Christchurch could be worth tens of millions in direct visitor spending.

Sport NZ says the benefits extend well beyond dollars. National research has found every $1 invested in sport and recreation returns more than $2 in wider social value through better health, stronger communities, improved education outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.

“There’s plenty of research that shows physical activity has a number of benefits, both from a physical health perspective and a mental health perspective,” said Julian Todd, the group project manager at Sport NZ.

The risks and gaps

While comparisons suggest Parakiore could inject millions into Christchurch’s economy, questions remain about whether it will deliver value for money. The centre has cost $500m to build and will require millions more each year to run.

Beyond major events, Parakiore will also draw hundreds of casual users each day – families, school groups, and recreational swimmers – many of whom will spill into the central city for food, shopping or other activities. That steady stream of visitors adds another layer of economic benefit.

Aberhart said while the stadium is designed for blockbusters, Parakiore is a different proposition.

“Parakiore is largely pitched for the community, but can host big events. It would be really hard to quantify its total visitor impact – but it’s essentially a service for the community.”