April 17, 2026 • 6 mins
The curtain has come down on Christchurch’s “temporary” stadium, the Apollo Projects Stadium.
Lesley Murdoch revisits the how, why, and the when – the stadium’s origins in the immediate aftermath of the 2011 earthquake.
To do so, she was joined by the Earthquake Minister of the time and current Speaker of the House, Gerry Brownlee.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
But there were so many things going on all the time.
I think the overarching concern was making sure that the
city didn't unnecessarily depopulate, which it didn't, and part of
that was ensuring that there were the sort of civic
facilities that keep a community together, and the Crusaders was
a big part of that. It became a kind of
I think symbolic in a way because that season they
(00:21):
had away wasn't very pleasant for anyone, certainly not for
the players and nor for the fans. Though the opportunity
was sort of sought and found and you know, put together.
It was not cheap, but I think it was money
very well spent.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
But how on earth did it get built in one
hundred days.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, we had a great team led by a guy
called Nebel Harris, who was a very experienced civil servant
but a great business brain on him, you have to say,
and he really pulled a whole lot of things together.
And my role was really receiving the reports and making
sure that everyone knew there was a deadline and it
was an expectation that it would be met. So it
(01:04):
was a great effort by contractors as well as the
nevill and his team who really put the nose to Grindstone.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Look, I remember there were the lights that they came
from Dunedin's Carrolls Brook. I think, the turf and the
goalposts from Lancaster Park. The seating I think there was
a bit from Eden Park. Wasn't there from the Rugby
World Cup?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah? It was borrowed from all over the place and
the lighting lights came out of Karrasbrook. All we needed
to do was apart from install them, they had to
have new lamps or they call them lamps and the
bowls in them. So that was a big bonus. Getting
all that setting from just about everywhere, including Lester Park
was quite a bonus as well. And then I think
(01:47):
that the fact that we were able to get the
such deep structures underneath them very very quickly. So some
of those foundations there's big concrete pieces that you walk
in that six feet deep or one point me as deep.
They quite a sizable block that it's all built on.
But yet it was all done very quickly. The drainage
(02:07):
has been good in that facility and the turf has
stayed remarkably good condition.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well it has, and when you think that it was
meant to be decommissioned in twenty sixteen, and look where
we are now twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Yeah, that's true, but it actually had a longer life
than that. That plastic material that covers the stands has
a life of I think a guarantee life for about
thirty years. I can't no one was ever wanting it
to last that long, and you had to anticipate that
things might not go entirely to the plan, And that's
why I also we put in that plan's facility that
(02:41):
is at the sort of western the end of that ground.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh yes, yes, Did you ever envisage that it would
become such a crucial part of the not only the
physical rebuild of the city, but the psychological rebuild?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Oh? I think at the start that was very much
part of the motivation. You know, there was all sorts
of plans for the Crusaders to temporarily relocate to other
parts of the franchise, but also North Shaw was considered
as an option, I know, and you know none of
that would have worked as well as having them back
in the city. Excuse me, and I remember the opening
(03:17):
night of that just how influsitive was the sellout and
how pleased people were that it was back and it
was just a buzz right across the city, which was
for the time quite unusual because there was still a
lot of people facing very very difficult circumstances.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Oh yes, that was twenty fourth and March of I
remember correctly, and we played the Cheetahs, which was quite
un but it was a very emotional.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Night, It certainly was. It sort of also was an
occasion that proved it was absolutely the right thing.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
To do when we look right now at what's happening
with christ which the palpable vibe that we have in
the city, the fact that Metro and Paraciori will come
on stream later this year, then to Kaha next year.
You must have a sense of pride with everything that
you did, Jerry Browne.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Yeah, it wasn't just me. I mean you had a
great group of people. I think that the job I
had was ready just to hold the line, to be
firm on the decisions that were made, and to not
buckle to all the various sort of pressure groups that
were around, essentially not wanting to do things. You know,
you also have in the back of your head and
I did a huge amount of reading about how disasters
(04:28):
get recovered from. Is that timelines always slip, and so
unless you have a constant visual appearance of things getting better,
then you're on the back foot. And I think one
of the pleasing things for me is the plan that
we initially put in place, one hundred day Plan or
whatever it was eventually called, has not been deviated from.
(04:48):
So we do have, you know, one of the best
credicet grounds possibly in the world for both provincial and
international cricket. We've got great facilities coming with that sports center,
no doubt about that, and the stadium will just add
to that. And then of course you can add into
that things like the court theater building are now right
(05:12):
in the center of the city. That land was made
available for the court facility. Those sort of things just
make a bit of a difference over a long period
of time.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
One of the purposes of my call this morning was
to say thank you because in a time where as
you mentioned earlier, there was so much turmoil and the
fact that something has been done and while people might
look and say, well, that took a long time, but really,
in the essence of how a city evolves in a rebuild,
in that sense, you have done a magnificent job, and
(05:42):
we're really grateful.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Well that's very nice for me to say, but I
always say that, you know, we were lucky that so
many people decided to stay in christ Church and to
particularly reinvest in Christ Church. And you look at some
of the quite beautiful buildings that have been put up.
People had other choices and they made them here, and
I think that's going to be ricky guys as well.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
For more from Used Talk sed B, listen live on
air or online, and keep
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts
on iHeartRadio
But there were so many things going on all the time.
I think the overarching concern was making sure that the
city didn't unnecessarily depopulate, which it didn't, and part of
that was ensuring that there were the sort of civic
facilities that keep a community together, and the Crusaders was
a big part of that. It became a kind of
I think symbolic in a way because that season they
(00:21):
had away wasn't very pleasant for anyone, certainly not for
the players and nor for the fans. Though the opportunity
was sort of sought and found and you know, put together.
It was not cheap, but I think it was money
very well spent.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
But how on earth did it get built in one
hundred days.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, we had a great team led by a guy
called Nebel Harris, who was a very experienced civil servant
but a great business brain on him, you have to say,
and he really pulled a whole lot of things together.
And my role was really receiving the reports and making
sure that everyone knew there was a deadline and it
was an expectation that it would be met. So it
(01:04):
was a great effort by contractors as well as the
nevill and his team who really put the nose to Grindstone.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Look, I remember there were the lights that they came
from Dunedin's Carrolls Brook. I think, the turf and the
goalposts from Lancaster Park. The seating I think there was
a bit from Eden Park. Wasn't there from the Rugby
World Cup?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah? It was borrowed from all over the place and
the lighting lights came out of Karrasbrook. All we needed
to do was apart from install them, they had to
have new lamps or they call them lamps and the
bowls in them. So that was a big bonus. Getting
all that setting from just about everywhere, including Lester Park
was quite a bonus as well. And then I think
(01:47):
that the fact that we were able to get the
such deep structures underneath them very very quickly. So some
of those foundations there's big concrete pieces that you walk
in that six feet deep or one point me as deep.
They quite a sizable block that it's all built on.
But yet it was all done very quickly. The drainage
(02:07):
has been good in that facility and the turf has
stayed remarkably good condition.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well it has, and when you think that it was
meant to be decommissioned in twenty sixteen, and look where
we are now twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Yeah, that's true, but it actually had a longer life
than that. That plastic material that covers the stands has
a life of I think a guarantee life for about
thirty years. I can't no one was ever wanting it
to last that long, and you had to anticipate that
things might not go entirely to the plan, And that's
why I also we put in that plan's facility that
(02:41):
is at the sort of western the end of that ground.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh yes, yes, Did you ever envisage that it would
become such a crucial part of the not only the
physical rebuild of the city, but the psychological rebuild?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Oh? I think at the start that was very much
part of the motivation. You know, there was all sorts
of plans for the Crusaders to temporarily relocate to other
parts of the franchise, but also North Shaw was considered
as an option, I know, and you know none of
that would have worked as well as having them back
in the city. Excuse me, and I remember the opening
(03:17):
night of that just how influsitive was the sellout and
how pleased people were that it was back and it
was just a buzz right across the city, which was
for the time quite unusual because there was still a
lot of people facing very very difficult circumstances.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Oh yes, that was twenty fourth and March of I
remember correctly, and we played the Cheetahs, which was quite
un but it was a very emotional.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Night, It certainly was. It sort of also was an
occasion that proved it was absolutely the right thing.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
To do when we look right now at what's happening
with christ which the palpable vibe that we have in
the city, the fact that Metro and Paraciori will come
on stream later this year, then to Kaha next year.
You must have a sense of pride with everything that
you did, Jerry Browne.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Yeah, it wasn't just me. I mean you had a
great group of people. I think that the job I
had was ready just to hold the line, to be
firm on the decisions that were made, and to not
buckle to all the various sort of pressure groups that
were around, essentially not wanting to do things. You know,
you also have in the back of your head and
I did a huge amount of reading about how disasters
(04:28):
get recovered from. Is that timelines always slip, and so
unless you have a constant visual appearance of things getting better,
then you're on the back foot. And I think one
of the pleasing things for me is the plan that
we initially put in place, one hundred day Plan or
whatever it was eventually called, has not been deviated from.
(04:48):
So we do have, you know, one of the best
credicet grounds possibly in the world for both provincial and
international cricket. We've got great facilities coming with that sports center,
no doubt about that, and the stadium will just add
to that. And then of course you can add into
that things like the court theater building are now right
(05:12):
in the center of the city. That land was made
available for the court facility. Those sort of things just
make a bit of a difference over a long period
of time.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
One of the purposes of my call this morning was
to say thank you because in a time where as
you mentioned earlier, there was so much turmoil and the
fact that something has been done and while people might
look and say, well, that took a long time, but really,
in the essence of how a city evolves in a rebuild,
in that sense, you have done a magnificent job, and
(05:42):
we're really grateful.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Well that's very nice for me to say, but I
always say that, you know, we were lucky that so
many people decided to stay in christ Church and to
particularly reinvest in Christ Church. And you look at some
of the quite beautiful buildings that have been put up.
People had other choices and they made them here, and
I think that's going to be ricky guys as well.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
For more from Used Talk sed B, listen live on
air or online, and keep
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts
on iHeartRadio
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