A new cultural icon: Te Pae

Cantabrians won’t have to hold their breath for much longer with the imminent opening of the iconic Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in October.

While the centre will bring a host of national and international conventions to the city, this stunning facility is also set up to host local events and meetings. It contains a succession of beautiful and flexible spaces, including 24 meeting rooms with capacity from 20-2000 people. The world-class venue has been carefully designed and purpose-built to meet endless event requirements.

“We are looking forward to hosting an array of events, from meetings to dinners and live entertainment,” says communications manager Emma Hartley. “It’s highly flexible and it’s for everyone.”

A public open day is planned this spring.

The cultural and architectural narrative of the unique building is fluid and integrated, inspired by the Māori creation story and including design elements inspired by Canterbury’s braided rivers, snow-capped mountains and open plains. The name Te Pae also holds significant meaning, drawing inspiration from several phrases in te reo Māori, including Te Pae Tangata – a place to meet and converse.

The first of a new generation of convention centres for New Zealand, this unique building includes a specialist in-house AV team operating the latest technology, allowing for hybrid and fully virtual meetings.

The backing of ASM Global, a leading world venue management company with more than 300 venues, means the local talent and experience on the ground has access to the latest in event management knowledge from around the globe.

This includes industry-leading programmes such as VenueShield, which provides expert information from health authorities around the world, essential in Covid-19 times.

Combining this knowledge with a depth of local experience means Te Pae is ideally positioned to establish Christchurch on the map as a world-class destination. The team is all based here in Christchurch, with many being life-long Cantabrians. This connection to Christchurch means the Te Pae team members are local experts, with a love and passion for the city.

Discover more at www.tepae.co.nz.