Not really, 1. NQ is RL heartland, Christchurch is rugby union heartland. 2. NQ struggled for years, we’re bailed out by news ltd and reliant on a pokie den until relatively recent times.
maybe, maybe not. Like any club will depend on success to some degree, look at the warriors hugely variable crowds for years, but the fact remains at the moment there is no one putting their hand up to own and back a team in Christchurch.
as for the one million on South Island, how many of them live within 45 minutes of the stadium as that’s the real catchment for an active fanbase.