Forsyth Barr Stadium already has a ''Zoo'' but it is set to welcome an influx of Wallabies and Lions in 2017.
The Dunedin stadium has secured three international rugby matches over the next two years.
An All Black test against Wales in June next year will be followed in 2017 by a tour match between the Highlanders and the British and Irish Lions, and a Rugby Championship test against Australia, which will double as a Bledisloe Cup test.
Dunedin Venues Management Limited chief executive Terry Davies is overseas on holiday and could not be reached for further comment, but said in a statement securing the two tests and one Lions tour match was a fantastic result for the stadium and the city.
''Our team has consistently delivered an outstanding rugby test experience, so to be awarded three international matches is a terrific reflection on our team and the city of Dunedin,'' Mr Davies said.
The three All Blacks-Lions tests will be in the North Island, with Eden Park hosting two and Westpac Stadium in Wellington the other.
The Lions will also play a provincial XV in Whangarei, the Maori All Blacks in Rotorua, and all five New Zealand Super rugby sides.
The lack of Lions tests in the South Island will rankle with some rugby fans, but New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew told Radio New Zealand the logistical limitations of Dunedin and the lack of a suitable stadium in Christchurch left little option.
''We cannot host a British and Irish Lions test in Christchurch with the current stadium that is there. It is simply not up to this level of fixture,'' Mr Tew said.
''Despite the parochial views of most people who live south of [Wellington] it would be a considerable struggle for Dunedin to cope with the logistics of the hordes of fans that are travelling.''
The 2017 Dunedin test will be the first home game for the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship, and the second test between the transtasman rivals after a match in Australia the previous week.
Highlanders general manager Roger Clark expects the attraction of a Lions fixture may convince some Super rugby players to hold off heading overseas.
Otago put up a brave fight in 2005, eventually losing 30-19, but Mr Clark believes the Super rugby franchises are a more realistic fit 12 years later.
''New Zealand rugby has evolved a lot since 2005 and if you look at the Lions tour of Australia a few years ago [in 2013], you really need to be playing as strong teams, because they will be a strong team,'' he said.
Mr Clark said Highlanders season ticket holders in 2017 would be given preferential rights for tickets to the Lions clash.
''It's one of those iconic tours and an iconic team that doesn't play very often, so if you get the opportunity for any player or fan to go, it's usually a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.''
2016
June 11 v Wales, Auckland
June 18 v Wales, Wellington
June 25 v Wales, Dunedin
August 27 v Australia, Wellington
September 10 v Argentina, Hamilton
September 17 v South Africa, Christchurch
October 22 v Australia, Auckland
2017
LIONS TOUR
June 3 v Provincial XV, Whangarei
June 7 v Blues, Auckland
June 10 v Crusaders, Christchurch
June 13 v Highlanders, Dunedin
June 17 v Maori All Blacks, Rotorua
June 20 v Chiefs, Hamilton
June 24 v All Blacks, Auckland
June 27 v Hurricanes, Wellington
July 1 v All Blacks, Wellington
July 8 v All Blacks, Auckland
OTHER TESTS
August 26 v Australia, Dunedin
September 9 v Argentina, New Plymouth
September 16 v South Africa, North Shore
