Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is honoured to have won two awards at the recent Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand (EVANZ) Awards Dinner held in Dunedin. 

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Te Pae was awarded Medium Venue of the Year and Te Pae Christchurch Food and Beverage Operations Manager, Marzena Orlecka was awarded the EVANZ  ‘Rising Star of the Year’.  

Te Pae Christchurch General Manager Ross Steele said he is incredibly proud of these awards. “Te Pae Christchurch has made a significant impact in a short space of time thanks to our people, our community and our clients.” 

The judges said “Te Pae Christchurch’s venue entry demonstrated clear strategic priorities including client success, business optimisation and innovation. It clearly expressed the value placed in its people and its role as a custodian of community and sustainability.” 

Director of Event Services, Nicolette Elia accepted the Medium Venue of the Year Award and paid tribute to the Te Pae team. “I am immensely proud and honoured to accept this award on behalf of Te Pae Christchurch. We couldn’t have won this award without the Te Pae team’s hard work, commitment towards achieving our vision, and passion to deliver the best experience for our clients.” 

The EVANZ Rising Star, Marzena Orlecka was honoured to receive her award, “It was so unexpected, especially with such strong nominees. I could not have achieved this accolade without the support of the wonderful Te Pae Christchurch team.”  

Marzena leads a large Food and Beverage department, which manages the venue’s food service and logistics. She has quickly risen through the ranks due to her positive professional attitude, high quality standards and values of manaakitanga.  

“In my many years of international experience, Marzena stands out as one of the hardest working individuals I have ever met. Marzena demonstrates exceptional leadership qualities and her focus on delivering a world-class culinary experience is remarkable,” Director of Culinary Services, Darren Tait said. 

EVANZ General Manager Sally-Anne Coates said: “Today’s rising stars will one day lead our industry. The judges were very impressed with Marzena – clearly she is a highly valued member of the Te Pae team. The submission was full of examples highlighting her achievements and commitment to customer satisfaction.” 

Te Pae Christchurch congratulates all EVANZ awards finalists for their amazing contribution to the New Zealand venue industry.  

Date: 1 December November 2023 
Media Contact:  
Mel Gurden, Te Pae Christchurch, Marketing and Communications Manager  
T: +64 21 190 2434 | E: [email protected]    

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is honored to have been awarded the 2023 Skål International Sustainable Tourism Award in the Community and Government Projects category. 

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Te Pae Christchurch General Manager Ross Steele said he is incredibly proud of this international recognition. “This award is a credit to the entire Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre team and their commitment to foster a culture of environmental excellence.”  

“Sustainability is a key operational pillar for Te Pae Christchurch and an area our whole team is passionate about.  We view all significant decisions through an environmental lens and are driven to provide world class sustainable convention centre operations, creating meaningful change for future generations,” Mr Steele said.   

The prestigious 2023 Skal International Sustainable Tourism Awards hosted a record number of 68 entries from 18 countries. Evaluated by an independent judging panel comprised of esteemed sustainability experts, this awards program has been held annually since 2002 and serves as a platform to give recognition to contributions, remarkable achievements, innovation, and best practices in sustainability and responsible tourism.  

The Awards Ceremony took place at the Opening Ceremony of the 82^nd Skål World Congress in Málaga, Spain on Thursday 2 November. 

View video: https://youtu.be/JTPUJ0aL54o?si=2mlvXG6ZNDvBthty 

Date: 3 November 2023 
Media Contact:  
Mel Gurden, Te Pae Christchurch, Marketing and Communications Manager  
T: +64 21 190 2434 | E: [email protected]    

15 February 2023

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre has taken the next step in its sustainability journey, drafting an agreement with Toitū Envirocare as the Centre commits to reducing its environmental footprint.

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The agreement is to join and work towards to being a certified Toitū net carbonzero organisation. This commitment underscores the seriousness with which the Centre is approaching its environmental obligations.

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre General Manager Ross Steele says committing to net CarbonZero operations is a clear indication of the Centre’s desire to lead by example and create meaningful change.

“For us, sustainability and sustainable operations go beyond just measuring waste and offsetting carbon emissions. It’s about legacy – what we leave behind for future generations, and how we instil values that will ensure we are not only environmentally sensitive but leading the way in this area for years to come.”

Mr Steele says with the Centre yet to complete its first year of operations, the focus is currently on the benchmarking phase. “It’s essential to get an accurate benchmark of operations to not just know where we are at, but where we need to head in the future.

“From here, we will turn our attention to achieving net carbonzero operations by the end of the next financial year,” Mr Steele says.

“The goal will then be to bring clients and suppliers along on the journey and look at ways to work with them to minimise the impact of the events we host – something we are well supported in with Ōtautahi Christchurch’s own commitment to reaching net zero emissions.”

ChristchurchNZ Head of Business Events, Megan Crum says the destination’s guiding principle is ‘Small Footprint – Big Impression’.

As the region’s economic development agency, ChristchurchNZ has a big part to play in helping to foster and promote sustainability initiatives. “Among the many actions underway for the business events space this year will be delivering a comprehensive Business Events Sustainability Framework for Christchurch, doing our bit to help achieve the target to halve the city’s emissions by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2045,” she says.

When looking at partners to assist the Centre in its journey to carbonzero, Toitū Envirocare was the obvious choice, Mr Steele says.

Not only a long-standing Te Pae Christchurch partner, the Toitū carbon programmes are also the only ones in New Zealand certified under the ISO 14064 standard (organisation) and ISO 14067 standard (product) by the JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand), meaning they are internationally recognised.

“Toitū has been an invaluable part of our journey to date. The guidance and support they have provided us since 2020 in their capacity as New Zealand’s strongest environmental programme has set us up well to take this next step. “The fact their programmes take a science-based approach also gives us the confidence to aim high and set big goals in this area.”

16 December 2022

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre has exceeded all expectations for its opening year.

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Despite only being operational for seven months due to covid settings earlier in the year, the Centre has more than compensated for its slower than expected start, hosting more than 180 events during that time.

Of those, 62 were multi-day conferences, 66 banquets, several exhibitions, one live entertainment event and the remainder smaller meetings and seminars.

Those events have brought more than 60,000 people into the city and contributed close to $45 million to the local economy.

Te Pae Christchurch General Manager Ross Steele said since restrictions eased in April the team had been incredibly busy.

“There’s been a real pent-up demand for Christchurch as a business events destination. The number of events has just blown us away – we’ve really hit the ground running.”

While the Centre had welcomed several international events through the doors, Mr Steele said it had also been wonderful to have the support of a large number of national and local businesses and associations.

“The support from the domestic market has been really humbling, particularly coming off the back of covid,” he said.

Alongside the direct economic impact generated from the year’s events, Mr Steele said the team were proud to see the Centre making a difference in other ways, such as business growth for the Centre’s neighbours.

Ashleigh Robertson, Marketing Coordinator for Inkster Company, which operates OGB among others, said OGB had seen drastic change since Te Pae Christchurch opened.

“We are just getting people through the door – and a lot of people through the door. And there’s definitely plenty of lanyards – it’s an obvious corporate crew. The target market has been great for us,” she said.

“Monday now, because it seems to be a quite popular conference day, is one of our biggest days, often beating Sunday, which is pretty wild.”

The Centre’s suppliers have also noticed an uptick in business as a result of the busy events calendar.
Exhibition Hire Service’s Christchurch Branch Manager, Nicola Ransome said Te Pae Christchurch had been massive for the business.

“I would say it has quadrupled our workload. We’ve got to the point where we’re having to buy more vehicles and employ double the number of staff, just to be able to service the events that have been happening in there. So, it’s been absolutely huge, she said.

“It has enabled us to be able to upskill our staff. The types of jobs that go in there, there’s a lot more involved….we’ve literally now just found the time to be able to recruit for next year. So, we’ve just employed four more guys. We will be training up over the next few months and we’re going to be looking to expand our sales and coordination team next year as well, which we just wouldn’t have been able to do without Te Pae.”

Mr Steele said Te Pae Christchurch’s future remains bright, as the Centre heads into the new year with a solid events calendar.

10 November 2022

Following the success of its July Community Day, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is throwing open the doors again to Cantabrians on Sunday 4 December.

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Visitors to the Centre will be able to visit any time from 10.30am to 3.30pm, with the last entry being 3pm.

Te Pae Christchurch General Manager Ross Steele said the team had been blown away by the public’s support during the last event.

“It was fantastic to have so many members of the public through the Centre during our community day in July. We’re regularly asked when people can come back through so we have decided to stage another community event prior to Christmas,” he said.

While this will also be a self-guided tour through the Centre’s key function areas, including the Auditorium and Exhibition Halls, the event will not be ticketed this time.

As with previous event, the community day will also showcase some of the Centre’s community partnerships.

2 November 2022

Game On Canterbury, a new fixture aimed at encouraging more Cantabrians into sport and active recreation activities will host its inaugural event at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre on Sunday 19 February 2023.

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With a variety of sport and active recreation providers already confirmed, the focus of the free whānau event will be on providing a fun, interactive and inclusive day, with plenty of opportunities to try new things and discover what’s on offer in Canterbury.

Te Pae Christchurch has partnered with Serious Fun Limited to host the event – the first of its kind for Ōtautahi Christchurch. Sport Canterbury has come onboard as the Principal Sponsor.

Te Pae Christchurch Director of Event Services Nicolette Elia said the Te Pae Christchurch team was excited to host an event that would benefit the community.

“Ōtautahi Christchurch is well known as a great city for sport and the outdoors, so we are looking forward to providing local residents of all ages and abilities with a fun, interactive  one-stop shop where they can learn about the sport and active recreation opportunities that are available, and then sign up, join in and get active.”

Sport Canterbury General Manager Participation Pathways Jason Merrett said the organisation was excited to assist the local community in finding opportunities to be more active more often.

“The array of organisations, clubs and groups means there will be something for everyone. We look forward to supporting our community in finding the physical activity opportunity that works for them.”

More than 40 community and recreation groups have expressed interest in participating in the event, with the following confirmed to attend: Mainland Football, Christchurch Netball, Canterbury Rugby, Special Friends Sports Trust, Tri Rugby, The Halberg Foundation, Badminton Canterbury, Canterbury Cricket, Rugby League Canterbury, Table Tennis Canterbury, Canterbury Triathlon, Canterbury Ultimate Frisbee, Women in Sport Waitaha, Canterbury Handball and Canterbury Baseball.

The full event schedule will be released closer to the event, but being the inaugural event exhibitors were being encouraged to be as creative as possible.

Any sport or active recreation providers who want to be involved can head to the website for more information, while attendees can keep an eye out for more information on the Game On Canterbury website (www.gameoncanterbury.co.nz) and Facebook event page.

31 October 2022

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre has strengthened it’s commitment to sustainability, launching a partnership with the local Canterbury Community Garden Association to supply the “soil food” generated by its food dehydrator to the organisation.

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Launched at the CCGA’s recent AGM, the partnership is a key step in the Centre’s move towards more sustainable operations.

Te Pae Christchurch General Manager Ross Steele said the Centre was delighted to partner with the Canterbury Community Garden Association (CCGA), the Just Dirt Trust and City Care in the distribution of the soil food created by the Centre’s onsite dehydrator.

“Sustainablity is a key tenet of operations across the Centre, and something we committed to very early on in our journey. With operations now well underway, it’s exciting to be able to recognise an initiative that we have been working towards since pre-opening.”

“The partnership also aligns well with our parent company ASM Global’s corporate social responsibility program ASM Global Acts, particularly the key program areas of protecting the environment and strengthening our communities,” Mr Steele said.

“With the Centre now in full swing, it’s fantastic to see weekly pick ups of soil food underway and to hear about the benefits local gardeners are finding as they use the soil food.”

Rachel Vogan, Capacity Builder at the CCGA said the organisation was proud to partner with Te Pae Christchurch, City Care and The Just Dirt Trust on this project.

“Creating connections, reusing of waste products to make compost is huge for our organisation. Currently, the CCGA is actively engaged with 52 community gardens in the region. This type of relationship is what community gardening is all about, sharing knowledge, and turning waste into something nutritious to feed our soils, it’s a win win,” she said.

“I love that it’s recycled from a waste product that may have ended up in landfill.” The “soil food” dehydrator used at Te Pae Christchurch is provided by Sustainably. It has the capacity to process 200 kilograms of food waste a day and works by heating the Centre’s excess food (food that is unsuitable to be donated to Foodbank Canterbury) to a set temperature over nine hours, reducing the food to a soil-like consistency which is rich in nutrients.