QEII | |
Location | Christchurch, New Zealand |
---|---|
Coordinates | 43°29′29″S172°42′19″E / 43.49139°S 172.70528°E |
Capacity | 25,000 |
Construction | |
Built | 1973 |
Opened | 1974 |
Demolished | 2012 |
Tenants | |
Christchurch United (1974–2011) |
Queen Elizabeth II Stadium was a multi-use stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand, located in a large park of the same name. The stadium had a capacity of 25,000 people and was built in 1973 to host the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, with a temporary 10,000 seat western stand erected for that event to take the capacity to 35,000. The stadium suffered some damage in the September 2010 Canterbury earthquake but was able to reopen, only to be damaged beyond repair in February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
The park is now home to two schools: Avonside Girls' and Shirley Boys' and Taiora QEII Recreation and Sport Centre – all newly built since the earthquakes.
The facilities are situated in a large park called Queen Elizabeth II Park; the overall land area is 49 hectares (120 acres). [1] Queen Elizabeth II contained a running track, as well as a public swimming and diving pool. There is also a cricket ground, behind the main complex, called "The Village Green", which was the home of the district's first-class cricket team, the Canterbury Wizards. A golf course takes up with north-east corner of Queen Elizabeth II Park. [1]
QEII stadium was designed and built for the 1974 Commonwealth Games. The lead architect was Peter Beaven from Beaven, Hunt and Associates. The principal consultant for the stadium design was civil engineer Bill Lovell-Smith of Lovell-Smith & Cusiel.
A fun park was located adjacent to the pool between the 1980s and early 2000s. The park consisted of Drive World a mini street where visitors could ride mini bikes or mini vehicles around the streets, a mini golf course, a maze, five lane super slide and for a time a mini roller coaster.[ citation needed ]
The stadium hosted many local and international events, including concerts by many famous artists, such as The Eagles, Beach Boys, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, David Bowie and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
On 29 November 1978, it hosted a concert of David Bowie as part of his Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour. [2] The venue was also the site of the last concert by Talking Heads in 1984, apart from their brief reformation for their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
For many years it was the venue for the Christchurch Kids Weet-Bix triathlon, and for athletics and football matches. It was one of venues to host the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and was used as the main stadium for the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships after repairs from the 2010 earthquake had cleared the facility for use.
Greyhound racing was held at the stadium, with the first meeting there on 29 December 1975. The last meeting at QEII was held on 9 October 1997. [3]
The Christchurch City Council had launched a feasibility study into returning the Commonwealth Games to the city in 2018 with QEII Park to be used for athletics and swimming events – with Lancaster Park to be used for rugby sevens as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Prime Minister John Key was against the plan, [4] and the February 2011 earthquake ended any prospect.
The stadium has hosted two rugby league internationals involving New Zealand. [5]
Notable games at the stadium include:
Game# | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 June 1985 | Australia def. South Island 56–0 | 6,800 | Played as part of the 1985 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand |
2 | 9 July 1989 | Australia def. New Zealand 26–6 | 17,000 | Played as part of the 1989 Trans-Tasman Test series |
3 | 15 July 1990 | New Zealand def. Great Britain 21–18 | 3,113 | Played as part of the 1990 Great Britain Lions tour |
In March 2012, Christchurch City Council released reports showing that the facilities at Queen Elizabeth II Park were beyond repair. [6] The demolition of the stadium and pool complex began in August 2012. [7]
In February 2015 the Minister of Education, Hekia Parata, announced that two single-sex high schools damaged in the earthquakes would be rebuilt at Queen Elizabeth II Park: Avonside Girls' and Shirley Boys'. [8] Christchurch City Council sold 11.5 hectares (28 acres) of land to the Ministry of Education for NZ$4.6m for the two schools. [9] [10]
The concept for a new Eastern Sport & Recreation Centre co-located adjacent to the schools was unveiled in May 2016, with an expected opening date in 2018. [11]
It opened as Taiora QEII Recreation and Sport Centre in May 2018. [12]
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park along its banks.
The 1974 British Commonwealth Games was held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The event was officially named "the friendly games". There were 1,276 competitors and 372 officials, according to the official history, and public attendance was excellent. The main venue was the QEII Park, purpose-built for this event. The Athletics Stadium and fully covered Olympic standard pool, diving tank, and practice pools were all on the one site. The theme song was "Join Together", sung by Steve Allen. The event was held after the 1974 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Dunedin for wheelchair athletes.
The 1982 Commonwealth Games was held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium, in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the athletics and archery events venue. Other events were held at the purpose-built Sleeman Sports Complex in Chandler.
Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 earthquake and demolished in 2019. It has since been transformed into a public park with facilities for community sport, and was re-opened in June 2022.
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Shirley Boys' High School is a single sex state (public) secondary school in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was originally situated on a 6 hectare site in the suburb of Shirley, but in April 2019 moved, along with Avonside Girls' High School, further east to the former QEII Park, 8.6 kilometres from the city centre.
Avonside Girls' High School is a large urban high school in Christchurch, New Zealand, with more than 1,000 girls from Year 9 to Year 13. It was formerly in the suburb of Avonside but moved in 2019, along with Shirley Boys' High School, to the former QEII Park site in the east of Christchurch.
The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and out to an estuary, which it shares with the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River, the Avon Heathcote Estuary / Ihutai.
Village Green was a cricket venue in Christchurch. It is a back-up first-class cricket ground in New Zealand. It was the home of the District's first class cricket team, the State Canterbury Wizards.
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Holy Trinity Avonside was a heritage-listed Anglican church located in Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand. It was registered as a "Historic Place – Category I" by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. The church building was "damaged beyond the point of repair" in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and was demolished the following September.
Peter Jamieson Beaven was a New Zealand architect based in Christchurch, who lived for his last few months in Blenheim. He was a co-founder of New Zealand's first heritage lobby group, the Civic Trust.
Noeline Brokenshire was a New Zealand sportswoman, who represented her country in field hockey, and as a hurdler at the 1950 British Empire Games. Later she was a gallery owner and noted woodturner, and the founder and publisher of New Zealand's first woodworking magazine, Touch Wood.
The 1981 Pacific Conference Games was the fourth edition of the international athletics competition between five Pacific coast nations: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. This was the first occasion that athletes from beyond the Pacific grouping were allowed to compete at the tournament. A total of 21 men's and 16 women's athletics events were contested. Combined track and field events were included for the first time, in the form of the men's decathlon and the women's pentathlon. The women's 3000 metres was also a new addition to the programme.
Olga May Jekyll was a New Zealand fencer, who represented her country at the 1950 British Empire Games.
The Queen Elizabeth II Stadium is a multi-use sports venue in Enfield, London. Built initially as a venue for athletics, in 2011 a three-year refurbishment was completed to allow the stadium to be used for football. The Stadium is a Grade II Listed Building.
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