Cargo shed 'magic' for $84m

Two 97-year-old dock sheds will be converted into "magic spaces" for the Rugby World Cup under an $84.3 million plan approved by the Auckland City Council yesterday.

The sheds are the focal point of a plan for a cruise ship terminal and World Cup "party central" on Queens Wharf.

The council opted to restore the two 1912 cargo sheds instead of building a basic terminal for $112.8 million, an "iconic" terminal for $144 million or a basic cup fan zone for $52.1 million.

The $84.3 million has been included in the council's long-term budget, but it will be paid by all Aucklanders when the Super City takes over next year.

The Government and the Auckland Regional Council each paid $20 million to buy the wharf from Ports of Auckland, so the city council's proposal takes the total cost to just over $124 million.

Its city development general manager, John Duthie, said the two cargo sheds were "magic spaces", full of exposed kauri, totara and matai native timber and steel beams.

The plan is to turn the eastern shed into a cruise ship terminal in conjunction with a live site on the ground floor for World Cup events.

The western shed would have a more basic upgrade for use during the rugby tournament, and would be converted afterwards to another use, such as a new home for the Auckland Theatre Company.

The theatre company believes a combined 500- to 600-seat theatre and cruise ship terminal would be complementary in an "architecturally stunning" multipurpose building.

Auckland City Mayor John Banks said an open day would be held soon to show Aucklanders how fabulous the buildings were on the inside and how special they could look.

Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney said the council plan appeared to be a good middle-ground option that would open up a quintessential Auckland location to showcase the city for the World Cup.

Although the bill will be spread across the region - and has to be approved by the Auckland Transition Agency before it can be passed to the Super City - several city councillors yesterday criticised the amount of money involved in the project.

City Vision councillor Cathy Casey said the new spending was "World Cup-itis".

"The symptoms are feverish spending of ratepayers' money on anything to do with Rugby World Cup 2011 and blindness to the real long-term needs of Aucklanders living in the suburbs," she said.

Deputy Mayor David Hay said that until recently the regional council was going to develop Queens Wharf, but now it and the Government had "dished us up a big problem and a huge opportunity".

Based on an assessment showing 35 per cent of the economic benefits from a cruise ship terminal would go to the whole country, the council would seek a $30 million contribution from the Government "or other parties".

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully said he was not surprised Auckland City was seeking money from other parties, but the focus should be on other councils rather than the Government, which had already paid $20 million towards the purchase.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee said he had not been briefed on the council's plans, but he would not be "rubber-stamping" them without some scrutiny.

"The ARC's approach would be to have the wharf open, and have a new building - that's our preference as the part-owner. But we'll have a good look at Auckland City's plan in an open way."