An international team has been chosen to design and build the 25,000-seat capacity Canterbury Multi-Use Arena (CMUA) in New Zealand.

Watpac, the Australian subsidiary of Belgium’s Besix group, is the lead contractor in the Kōtui team, which also includes New Zealand contractors Southbase Construction and Fulton Hogan, engineer Lewis Bradford and architect Warren and Mahoney. Other designers are American sports specialist Populous and UK consulting engineer Mott MacDonald.The CMUA will host sports matches and concerts, and has “scalable” seating for smaller performances or events.Jean-Pol Bouharmont, Besix Watpac’s chief executive, said: “Kōtui is a remarkable team and we are proud to honour the meaning of our name and walk arm in arm with Christchurch City Council and the people of Canterbury to delivery this vital project.“We will leverage our in-house engineering and multi-disciplinary construction capability in the spirit of one team to deliver an exceptional result.”Kōtui means “interweave” in Maori.Quin Henderson, Southbase Construction’s chief executive, said: “We will create a stunning multi-use arena to fulfil an incredibly important role in our city. It will celebrate the spirit of Ōtautahi Christchurch and entice the world to experience the internationally renowned sporting, arts, and the cultural pride we have on offer.”Work on the design and survey phases of CMUA will start shortly, with construction due to begin in 2022.