Solar Panel Installation Complete Ahead of SOLD OUT Warriors Game.

Go Media Stadium, New Zealand's best and busiest large venue, is once again making history by powering a sold-out One NZ Warriors match with solar panels - a NZ first.

The solar installation is the only stadium project of its kind in Aotearoa and one of only a few in Australasia. No other NRL venue currently matches the scale of this solar project. 

Installation for the solar panels began in January 2025 and they’re now fully operational. From this weekend, 1,651 solar panels lining the East and West stands will start powering the stadium, generating around 800 MWh a year, which is equal to 60 per cent of the stadium’s total energy usage.

Recognition of Sustainability Practice

The solar project has already been named a finalist in the NZ Energy Excellence Awards, under the Low Carbon Future Award. The solar installation will not only lower the stadium’s carbon footprint but will also generate $150k of savings on energy spend each year, reducing the reliance on ratepayer funding. The investment is expected to pay for itself within six to eight years.

Venue Leadership & Innovation

Director of Auckland Stadiums James Parkinson is happy to see Go Media Stadium leading the way for the venue industry, 

“We are immensely proud of this solar project and being the first stadium in New Zealand to be able to host solar-powered events. The solar panels are part of our ongoing work to move away from fossil fuels. Now that it’s complete, this innovative project shows what is possible when venues lead from the front.

It’s another big step forward for the stadium and something Auckland can be proud of. We would love to see other venues embrace this technology.

We’ve benefitted from the winter sun this week contributing power to our daily operations and are looking forward to Saturday’s sellout Warriors match also being boosted by solar power.”

Carbon Reduction and Future Readiness

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited’s Senior Sustainability Assets Advisor Marlies Wilson says,

“It’s fantastic to see an iconic Auckland venue embrace innovation and work to improve its carbon footprint. This solar initiative will help to generate clean, renewable energy for a legacy venue and will also allow for energy to be sold back into the grid. The wider decarbonisation project at the stadium will contribute to carbon emission reductions of approximately 140 tonnes per year, with the solar installation set to generate up to sixty percent of the stadium’s energy usage. TAU are working to reduce carbon emissions at all our venues and contribute to Auckland Council’s goals to reduce carbon emissions by half by 2030.” 

Cameron George, CEO of the One New Zealand Warriors says,

“It is great to see this investment into the infrastructure at Go Media Stadium. Sustainability is important to our fans and to the whole Warriors organisation. With our high-performance training and administrative offices also based at the stadium, all of our teams will enjoy the use of renewable energy for the whole week, as well as on matchdays." 

More Solar Powered Events to Come

This weekend’s NRL game will be the first of many solar-powered events, as the stadium looks ahead to a busy calendar of sport with the Auckland FC season starting in October, concerts including the recently announced Ed Sheeran tour in January, and many more events under its new clean energy system

Solar installation at Go Media Stadium - NZ's first stadium solar project

Auckland Stadiums