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Conventions held at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre generated almost $74 million for the New Zealand economy in the year to June 2026, including more than $60 million for Canterbury, according to a new economic impact assessment.
The Infometrics report found the convention centre hosted 56 conventions during the year, supporting 827 jobs across the Canterbury region. A further 133 exhibitions, meetings, banquets and live events attracted more than 125,000 attendees.
Chief executive of Crown Infrastructure Delivery John O’Hagan says the figures demonstrate the long-term value of the Crown’s investment in the convention centre.
“The Crown backed Te Pae to help drive the regeneration of central Christchurch by attracting more visitors, investment and activity. These results show it is delivering on that vision in a very tangible way.”
Te Pae general manager Ross Steele says the results reflect both the venue’s growing international reputation and the strength of Canterbury’s wider business events sector.
“We’re very proud of Te Pae Christchurch’s reputation as one of Australasia’s leading convention centres, helping position Christchurch and Canterbury as a premier business events destination.”
During the past year, Te Pae hosted several major international conferences, including Adaptation Futures 2025, the International Society of Arboriculture Conference and the IWA-ASPIRE + Water New Zealand Conference and Expo. The venue also attracted domestic visitors through The Art of Banksy exhibition.
Te Pae recently marked four years of operation, having hosted more than 865 events and welcomed more than 422,000 visitors since opening in 2022. The venue says it has a strong pipeline of conventions confirmed for 2026 and beyond.
