The new western stand under construction at Jade Stadium Photograph © CricInfo

Eight thousand news seats will be available at Jade Stadium for New Zealand's international cricket matches against England.

The massive western stand at the ground is well on the way to achieving its completion date of March 26.

While New Zealand's internationals are in late-February and early March, the bottom half of the new stand will be handed over on January 7 at which time seating contractors will place the 8000 available seats.

The $43.9million stand still has another level to be added to it but is already an imposing structure on the site of the long standing but little lamented concrete terrace.

Jade Stadium chief executive Bryn McGoldrick said the construction was on time and on budget.

While the Red and Black Trust's sale of 12-seater reserves had proven very popular, only one-third of the Victory Park Trust allocation and seven of the 31 suites had been sold. The suites are valued at between $40,000 and $50,000 per year.

When the job is completed the ground will have just over 50 suites.

McGoldrick was in no doubt that if support could be given to repeating the complex on the other side of the ground, replacing the existing stands, it could be started in March when the western stand is finished, and completed in time for the Rugby World Cup in 2003.

Because it would merely be a case of turning the plans around, the cost of doing the eastern side of the ground would be considerably less than for the new stand.

© CricInfo