Wolfbrook Arena

ROCKHAPPENZ Public Collection

Wolfbrook Arena  —  Addington, Christchurch .....(at that time named Horncastle Arena)

Wolfbrook Arena is an indoor arena in Christchurch, New Zealand.  It is located in the suburb of Addington and has gone through a series of name changes, the most recent of which prior to its current name having been Christchurch Arena.  Wolfbrook Arena is New Zealand's second-largest indoor arena with a maximum capacity of 8,888 (depending on event type), it was the largest until the construction of Auckland's Vector Arena in 2007.  The indoor stadium is capable of hosting concerts, exhibitions and various sporting events.  Provision for international sport and traditional indoor arena events has been integrated into the design requirements.  It has over 6,700 seats for sporting fixtures or, in the concert configuration, the seating can increase to over 7,000.  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.  Construction company Chas S Luney Ltd built the stadium which 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.  On 18 June 2010, Westpac Arena was officially renamed CBS Canterbury Arena.  On 23 July 2014, CBS Canterbury Arena was officially renamed Horncastle Arena.  On 19 September 2020, Horncastle Arena was officially renamed Christchurch Arena.  On 1 June 2023, Christchurch Arena was officially renamed Wolfbrook Arena.