Eden Park seeks to double annual concert events from six to 12: Have your say

• Eden Park wants 12 annual concerts, limited to six artists or acts, so some perform twice.
• Auckland hotels hit 97% occupancy during Pink concerts.
• The Eden Park concert boost has been backed by hotel chiefs citing Pink’s impact.
• Hotel bosses are pushing for more Eden Park concerts, citing tourism and economic gains.

Eden Park wants to double the number of its annual concert events from six to 12, and Auckland Council has invited people to have their say by early next month.

City hotel bosses say occupancies ran at an envious 97% in March when Pink performed at the park, and that boost is one of the arguments they have used to back concert numbers doubling.

Chiefs at the waterfront Hilton Auckland and Park Hyatt Auckland, Hotel Britomart, Nesuto and Auckland City Hotel support Eden Park holding 12 concerts a year, saying it would inject life into the city, boost tourism and draw people from here and overseas.

The council notified the application from the Eden Park Trust to double annual concert numbers, meaning anyone can submit their views.

Taylor Swift performs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16, 2024. Photo / Graham Denholm

Scott Thomson of Hilton Auckland cited research on the huge impact of Taylor Swift on the Australian hospitality sector, boosting occupancy numbers.

He also cited Tātaki Auckland Unlimited data on occupancies during the Pink concert across Auckland averaging 97%.

Big events had economic and cultural benefits, stimulating local businesses, creating employment and promoting Auckland as a vibrant and dynamic place, he said.

Park Hyatt general manager Brent Sweetman said during the March weekend of the Pink concerts, Auckland became a destination for local and overseas tourists. Hotels operated at high occupancies with strong rates. Guests came from Australia and elsewhere.

Resource consent was issued in 2021 for up to six concert events at Eden Park in any calendar year, including all related set-up, pack-down, and traffic and crowd management activities.

Eden Park wants to jump from six to 12 annual concerts.

The trust now wants consent for the events performed by a maximum of six artists or acts, excluding supporting acts.

“The concerts would take place on weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, subject to restrictions on frequency, duration and timing and to being carried out in accordance with a comprehensive operating management plan, incorporating event management, community consultation and communication [about] event and traffic management,” the council said.

Planner Mark Vinall of Tattico made the application, submitting an assessment of environmental effects, certificate of title, resource consent approvals as they stand now, concert consent, transport assessment, acoustic assessment, social impact assessment, proposed consent conditions and letters of support.

Applying for up to six different artists or acts to perform 12 concerts would enable promoters to secure multiple-night concert events and provide certainty for securing artists, and organising marketing.

Limiting artist/act numbers at six would mean there were would be no additional pack-in and pack-out activities over and above what is already consented.

The Hotel Britomart general manager Clinton Farley said expanding events will enhance the city’s cultural life and contribute to its economic and tourism growth.

Six60 performed at Eden Park. Photo / AP Photo / Getty Images

David Bark of Mulpha, which owns the Nesuto Stadium Hotel, said it was “absurd” the council only allowed the park to hold six concerts annually.

He also cited Taylor Swift performing in Melbourne and Sydney: “These two cities had near-record performances in the month. Auckland Council should reconsider their decision and increase the gap on events at Eden Park with immediate effect,” Bark wrote.

John Bristowe, Daiwa Living Nesuto’s director of Australian and New Zealand operations, said Nesuto had 430 hotel rooms and apartments under management in Auckland.

He also cited Pink’s two performances on March 8 and 9 this year.

“Having a performer of this calibre play at Eden Park was a huge win for Auckland, both in terms of the economy with the influx of visitors but also in terms of raising Auckland’s profile as one of the best destination in the world to visit,” he wrote.

Auckland City Hotel general manager Kevin Brodein said having more events at Eden Park would yield economic benefits.

Geoff Jones, group CEO of promotions business TEG, said business was in “discussions with numerous artist about large-scale tours that will require multiple dates at Eden Park in 2025/26″.

But if the number of events remained at six, he couldn’t guarantee the artists they could make the Auckland legs of their tours viable.

Rising freight costs and currency exchange rates made it hard to compete with others parts of the world for big live entertainment acts.

Nick Sautner, Eden Park Trust chief executive.

“Not being able to secure multiple dates at Eden Park including Sundays will increasingly encourage TEG and other major promoters to include more Australian dates in their artist offers and bypass New Zealand altogether,” he said.

The Herald reported in February how more than 93% of Eden Park’s neighbours wanted the stadium to host at least one Taylor Swift concert.

That led Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner to say the stadium would exploring its options with the council, to update its consents in a bid to secure more than the permitted six concerts a year.

The survey, which polled more than 1500 people in the Mt Eden and Kingsland area, was commissioned and released by the Eden Park Trust in a bid to host more large-scale events such as concerts.

*People have until September 2 to submit, with a link on the council website to enable that under notified consent applications.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.