A reliable travel experience for premier events in Canterbury
Project background
Te Kaha, Ōtautahi’s One New Zealand Stadium, is a new and exciting addition to the city and to the country’s event landscape. With a capacity of 37,000, it’s a next-generation event venue, designed to be comfortable, inclusive and accessible.
Core to this mission is managing the influx of fans and event-goers and ensuring their journey to and from this central-city venue is as easy and reliable as possible. So, ahead of the stadium's first major event, the team at Environment Canterbury (Canterbury Regional Council), launched a dedicated shuttle service called Event Direct by Metro(opens in new tab).
Environment Canterbury is responsible for planning, procuring, and managing the public transport network in Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region, operating it under the Metro brand.
The challenge lay in helping people choose the right route before they entered the booking system. Without this clarity, customers risked selecting incorrect options, or dropping out of the process entirely.
Silverstripe partnered with Environment Canterbury to design and build a front door to Event Direct that makes finding the event you want, and booking travel to and from it, simple and seamless.
Project scope
The Event Direct service sits outside Environment Canterbury’s regular public transport network and supports large, high-demand events such as stadium sports, concerts, and festivals.
However, the booking platform had limited flexibility. This meant the Metro website needed to do more of the work upfront to guide users.
The project focused on building a user-friendly interface at metro.co.nz/eventdirect. The scope included:
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UX and design to simplify the selection of routes and stops.
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Silverstripe CMS development to create a customisable backend for managing events.
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Integration with the existing Event Direct booking system to pass through user data.
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Project management and testing to meet a tight delivery deadline.
From discovery to ongoing support
We worked closely with the team at Environment Canterbury to understand the specific limitations of their third-party booking system, which didn't allow for flexible filtering and application of the booking logic required.
Our team managed the end-to-end process from design playback sessions through to development and UAT (User Acceptance Testing). We delivered a robust solution that supports both one-way and return ticket options, ensuring all technical requirements were met within the original timeframe. Following the successful launch in March 2026, we are continuing to provide ongoing support.
Silverstripe delivered exactly what we needed within a very tight timeframe, providing our users with a much simpler and reliable way to get to and from the stadium.
Jessie Russell, Customer Experience and Marketing Advisor
Environment Canterbury (Canterbury Regional Council
Key outcomes
Silverstripe designed and built a reusable “Location Selector” page template within metro.co.nz.
This page sits between event information and the booking system, guiding customers through a simple first step before they continue their journey.
Key features include:
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Event-specific pages for each individual event, with unique URLs
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Clear display of event details such as name, date, and venue
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Guided selection of pickup (“From”) and drop-off (“To”) locations
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Built-in logic to prevent invalid route combinations
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Automatic handoff to the booking system, with selected details passed through
The final build provides a direct, reliable way for people to secure transport for major events. By allowing users to select their details on the Metro website first, we’ve created a much faster path to purchase.
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Reduced user error: The system now prevents users from selecting incorrect or unavailable routes.
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Efficiency: Booking a ticket now takes only a few minutes.
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Certainty: Users receive clear information about where their stops are located before they commit to a booking.
Content outcomes
Silverstripe CMS has empowered the team at Environment Canterbury to take full control of their event content.
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Easy associations: CMS users can easily link pick-up and drop-off stops.
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Event management: The team can manage content for each individual event and location from a single place.
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Automated updates: The Event Landing Page is self-maintaining, with events automatically dropping off the list once the date has passed.
A reusable approach
The Location Selector was designed as a flexible template, allowing Metro to create and manage event pages without developer support.
Environment Canterbury staff can:
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Create new event pages as needed.
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Update event details quickly.
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Publish and unpublish pages based on event timing.
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Manage multiple events at once.
This reduces reliance on external support and makes it easier to respond to changing event schedules.
UX and design outcomes
The team focused on removing the confusion often associated with public transport booking. We implemented a logic-based selection process where the "to" option automatically updates based on the "from" location selected. This ensures the user journey is logical, accessible, and helps get fans to the stadium on time.
Key features
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Event Landing Page: A dedicated hub for all upcoming stadium events.
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Search parameter integration: Data selected on the Metro site (like location and ticket type) is passed directly to the booking system, so users don't have to enter information twice.
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Dynamic filtering: Pick-up and drop-off locations are filtered to show only valid combinations.
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Flexible ticket types: Support for both one-way and return trip selections.
The impact
By simplifying the first step in the booking journey, the new experience helps customers move from event planning to booking with greater confidence.
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Clearer route selection before entering the booking system.
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Fewer invalid or confusing choices.
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A smoother transition into booking.
Feedback collected by the Environment Canterbury team during the opening weekend confirmed the success of the digital booking experience, with survey responses showing a 98% ease-of-use rating.
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