Christchurch is set for a historic night next May, with Six60 and SYNTHONY joining forces to officially open the brand-new One NZ Stadium at Te Kaha. 

The event, fittingly named Once In A Lifetime Presented by Mānuka Phuel in association with Kiwibank, will take place on Saturday, 16 May 2026, marking the first-ever major live music event inside New Zealand’s newest world-class venue.

The stadium, currently in its final phase of building, will be a 30,000-capacity venue located in the heart of Christchurch. The DHL Super Rugby Pacific Super Round will be its first major sporting event at the end of April.

At a press conference today hosted by Mike McRoberts, Six60 said the show means a lot to the band, crediting Christchurch as the first ever city to book the band for a gig.

Now, more than a decade later, they’re helping launch the city’s long-awaited stadium.

“It’s a real honour for us to play the first ever show at Christchurch’s One New Zealand Stadium,” the band said. 

Christchurch has backed us from day one, so being able to open a venue built for its future is really special. We can’t wait to put on a night that Christchurch deserves.

Six60 and a scaled version of SYNTHONY gave a taster to the public during the press conference, performing 'Forever', which lead singer Matiu Walters said felt amazing to collaborate on and he wished to release formally.

As part of this huge musical event, fans will get a full Six60 set, a full SYNTHONY set, and a powerful grand finale where both acts unite onstage, reimagining Six60’s biggest hits with SYNTHONY’s full orchestra, vocalists, DJs and visual production. 

Country-pop favourite Kaylee Bell is set to feature only a few weeks after selling out the Christchurch Town Hall. Also on the line-up includes recent The Voice Australia finalist and Christchurch local Cassie Henderson, and the band Castaway to perform on their biggest stage yet.

Duco Events’ David Higgins says headlining alongside Six60 for such a landmark moment is a milestone for the project. 

“It’s the kind of night that will define what’s possible here.”

The event is part of the first wave of the Government’s Events Boost Fund, which will push for more large-scale homegrown and international events in New Zealand. Other events part of this funding include LINKIN PARK in Auckland and Ultra Music Festival in Wellington.

rova's presale for Once In A Lifetime Presented by Mānuka Phuel in association with Kiwibank kicks off next Tuesday. General public tickets go on sale Thursday, 11 December at midday via Ticketmaster.