NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

Dunedin stadium a drain on council funds

By Debbie Porteous
Otago Daily Times·
23 Jan, 2014 07:47 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The All Blacks train at Forsyth Barr Stadium Dunedin. Photo / ODT

The All Blacks train at Forsyth Barr Stadium Dunedin. Photo / ODT

As Forsyth Barr Stadium continues to drain Dunedin City Council funds, the DCC's new chief executive has slammed the existing operating model as ''fundamentally optimistic'' and started a major review.

Dr Sue Bidrose announced the review yesterday after learning the stadium was again going to be unable to achieve its budgeted revenue this year and was likely to seek more financial assistance from the council.

She told councillors working on a draft budget for 2014-15 that after two years of operation for the stadium and a clearer idea of what it could actually achieve, original budgets suggesting it could pay its own way had proven to be ''fundamentally optimistic''.

The stadium was set to make another financial loss this year and a bigger one next year despite the council giving an extra $750,000 for community events last year and $1.1 million to pay for Dunedin Venues Ltd debt and for an events attraction fund this year.

It had become increasingly obvious the complex operating and financial models under which the stadium was run needed to be ''fundamentally reviewed and rebuilt'', she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

''I can't in all faith continue come to you every year cap in hand to ask for extra money to try and make the current model work. We need to come up with a solution for you, for all of us, once and for all.''

The situation was affecting the morale of stadium staff, who knew they could not meet revenue targets, and council staff who had spent years trying to make the stadium work, as well as having to make big savings in other areas, she said.

''Many of you, councillors and ratepayers, are rightly tired of it.''

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

All options for a new operating model were on the table, from bringing the operation in-house to privatisation, she said.

Ratepayers at present pay $9.125 million each year towards stadium funding, largely made up of loan repayments.

The stadium cost $224 million to build, not counting related costs such as a road realignment, the sale of Carisbrook and bailing out the Otago Rugby Football Union. There is still $144 million outstanding to pay on it.

Dr Bidrose said stadium operator Dunedin Venues Management Ltd (DVML) had only been given half of the $400,000 events attraction fund so far and would only be given the other half if it could prove it would use the money to attract events, rather than to meet its revenue goal.

Discover more

New Zealand

Stadium promises 'completely different ball game' after $1m loss

02 Mar 04:50 AM

The review of the operating model had started and was being undertaken by the council in conjunction with the boards of council holding company Dunedin City Holdings Ltd (DCHL) and DVML, taking external advice where necessary.

Chief financial officer Grant McKenzie would report to council mid-year with recommendations about operating models and options for budgets if additional ratepayer funding was needed.

Councillors decided in 2008 to go ahead with the stadium project, using an operating model predicated on that outlined by the Carisbrook Stadium Trust, but modified by council staff and councillors.

Malcolm Farry, the chairman of the trust, and former council chief executive Jim Harland did not return calls yesterday.

Mayor Dave Cull, who voted against the stadium as a councillor, said scrutiny would be close.

''I completely support [Dr Bidrose's] intentions. And my advice was for any review to go further rather than not too far. Everything needs to be reviewed, including the way it was set up, the assumptions it was set up on and how it was run, and all that can be, will be made public.''

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Other councillors, who were unaware of the review until it was announced yesterday, had little to say on the matter.

Mr Cull cut off Cr Lee Vandervis when he began imparting information he had received about the activities of DVML staff, saying the information should form part of the review.

Deputy mayor Chris Staynes said the council had done its best to support the original operating models put in place, but it was clear they were not working.

''It's pretty clear the idea the original model would break even or even make a small profit, is pie in the sky. A review is absolutely necessary.

''There are assumptions made in that original model that will never be achieved and if we continue to live believing they can ever be achieved we will just be dealing with losses.

''I'm a pragmatist and don't believe that the end result is ratepayers are not going to have to fund the stadium, but it would be better to know now what that cost will be, than be surprised every year when they come for more money.''

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Long-time stadium opponent Bev Butler yesterday said she felt vindicated by the review.

''I was pleased to hear the news; it's been a long time coming. Obviously the whole model was financially flawed right from the start.''

She believed the most likely outcome of the review would be that the DVML board would be sacked and the stadium operation taken in-house.

She believed the council would eventually have to mothball the building.

Staff are to report back to councillors before the pre-draft annual plan discussions conclude, on what to include in the 2014-15 budget following concerns about how to manage the shortfall in income from the stadium next year.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Media Insider

TVNZ boss on the future of the 6pm news, Shortland Street - and a move into pay TV

19 Jun 09:37 AM
Premium
Shares

Market close: GDP beats forecasts but NZ sharemarket dips

19 Jun 06:24 AM
Premium
Business

Innovation milestone: NZ approves lab-grown quail for consumption

19 Jun 04:34 AM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

TVNZ boss on the future of the 6pm news, Shortland Street - and a move into pay TV

TVNZ boss on the future of the 6pm news, Shortland Street - and a move into pay TV

19 Jun 09:37 AM

Will this be Simon Dallow's swansong year as the 6pm newsreader?

Premium
Market close: GDP beats forecasts but NZ sharemarket dips

Market close: GDP beats forecasts but NZ sharemarket dips

19 Jun 06:24 AM
Premium
Innovation milestone: NZ approves lab-grown quail for consumption

Innovation milestone: NZ approves lab-grown quail for consumption

19 Jun 04:34 AM
$162k in cash, almost $400k in equipment seized in scam crackdown last year

$162k in cash, almost $400k in equipment seized in scam crackdown last year

19 Jun 04:29 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP