Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

Author: Newstalk ZB

Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays.Its all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking.If its news youre after, backing John is the combined power of the Newstalk ZB and New Zealand Herald news teams. Meaning when it comes to covering breaking news you will not beat local radio.With two decades experience in communications based in Christchurch, John also has a deep understanding of and connections to the Christchurch and Canterbury commercial sector.Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings9am-12pm withJohn MacDonald on100.1FM and iHeartRadio.
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John MacDonald: Stadium loo fighters - not the best seat in the house
Monday, 18 May, 2026

First world problems and all that but, is it really ok to make people use portaloos outside Christchurch’s new $683 million One NZ Stadium? Some people who were in the general admission standing area at Saturday night’s “Once in a Lifetime” concert don’t think so. And I agree. As you may have heard - or found out yourself if you were there on Saturday night - people who didn’t have seats but were standing on the pitch on front of the stage weren’t allowed to access the toilets or the food outlets inside the stadium. And they had to use the temporary toilets outside and buy food from vendors outside, as well. So, combine a trip to the portaloo and then another queue to get a drink or some food and you can see why some people are saying today that they missed some of the performances because of how long it all took. Venues Ōtautahi, which runs the stadium, says this was always part of the plan. Which it may well have been. But is it good enough? I don’t think it is. And here’s the irony. As far as general admission standing ticketholders go, the toilet facilities at the temporary stadium were better than they are at the new stadium. At Apollo Projects, there’s those portacom toilet arrangements. Not ideal either. But give me that any day over a portaloo. What’s more, at the temporary stadium, everyone was in the same boat. Or on the same loo. Same with the food outlets. Everyone got the same access. There wasn’t this two-tier situation going on. And, when you consider the fact that $683 million has been spent on this new venue, you wouldn’t expect portaloos to be part of the equation, would you? I certainly didn’t. The tricky thing is, the stadium has been so long in the making and most of us are excited as that it’s up and running. Excited about the sports and concert events we’re going to enjoy there. Not to mention the money it’s going to being into Christchurch with all that new activity. And, because of that, complaining about it so soon after the thing has opened feels like a bit of an elephant in the room moment. Should we say anything or not? Well, even though I’m a huge stadium fan, I think we should. And I know some people will say it’s just a communication issue and as soon as everyone’s aware that’s what the situation is everyone will be sweet with it. But I don’t think that at all. Because, on Saturday night, the people in the general admission standing area were lucky it wasn’t raining. What use is a stadium with a roof if a truckload of people have to queue in the rain to go to the loo? With the flash Harry loos inside taped off. Or queue in the rain to get something to eat and drink. Stadium boss Caroline Harvie-Teare, from Venues Ōtautahi, is saying today that the stadium was designed for 25,000 people and to allow for bigger crowds at large concerts, creating an external precinct has “always been part of the plan”. She says: “It's just how the building has been designed, so it's not a choice that Venues Ōtautahi have made.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.