Councillors voted 17-2 with one abstention (Mike Lee) to endorse in principle a staged redevelopment of Eden Park asthe best and most feasible option it had before it.
That saw the rival Quay Park waterfront stadium proposal miss out.
Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner said he was “delighted” at the decision and called the redevelopment of the stadium a “practical, buildable, and future-ready approach”.
Eden Park Trust Board Chair, Kereyn Smith, said the decision was important for Auckland and the future of the country’s national stadium.
“Today’s decision is a pivotal step toward securing the long-term future of Eden Park as New Zealand’s national stadium. The staged approach gives us the certainty to plan, the flexibility to deliver, and the ability to respond to the needs of Aucklanders and New Zealanders alike,” Smith said.
Nick Sautner, Chief Executive Officer of The Eden Park Trust.
Former Prime Minister and long-time Mt Eden resident Helen Clark slammed the decision as “short-sighted”.“This is not the best long-term option for Auckland. A downtown site, close to hotels, restaurants, and bars at scale, and close to where all main transport routes converge, is best suited for a major future-proofed entertainment venue for Auckland,” she told the Herald.
On Tuesday, the Herald reported that the contest to be crowned Auckland’s “main stadium” had concluded, with the two contestants failing to show their glitzy plans are feasible without significant public funding.
Nearly two years after Mayor Wayne Brown set out to resolve a “main stadium” for the city, the two preferred options – an upgrade of Eden Park and a waterfront stadium at Quay Park – go before councillors today.
The debate is likely to begin this afternoon and will be livestreamed at the top of this story.
Eden Park 2.1 involves increasing the stadium’s capacity to 60,000, a retractable roof, a new north stand, upgrades to two other grandstands and a pedestrian promenade to Sandringham Rd.
An artist's impression of the proposed Te Tōangaroa stadium.
Te Tōangaroa is more ambitious and includes a 50,000-seat stadium that can be scaled down to 20,000 capacity for smaller events as the centrepiece for the redevelopment of Quay Park. It also proposes up to four hotels, hospitality, and scope for 2000 apartments plus commercial offices.
A report by senior officers has concluded that “neither proponent has demonstrated that their proposal is feasible without significant public funding”.
It said Te Tōangaroa has not demonstrated that its proposals are technically or commercially feasible at this stage and wants more time to do so.
Over the next 12 months, the consortium behind the plan at Quay Park intends to progress with land acquisition.
Eden Park 2.1 is technically feasible, but not financially feasible as it relies on significant public funding, according to the report.
Officers said Eden Park could be progressed in stages, and there may be merit in Government support in the early stages.
Eden Park's capacity would lift to 60,000 under the 2.1 vision. Image / Eden Park Trust
The Eden Park Trust is seeking $110 million from the Government for the first stage to redevelop the Lower North Stand, the report said.
This would be followed by redeveloping the Upper North Stand with potential additions such as hotel and student accommodation.
Stage 3 would see the installation of a retractable roof.
The report said there are no plans for Auckland Council to provide funding towards a major stadium upgrade or new stadium.
One option for councillors is to stick with the status quo, leaving privately owned Eden Park as the city’s largest stadium, and the council managing Go Media (Mt Smart), North Harbour and Western Springs.
Separately from the “Main Stadium” project, the council is considering three rival bids to develop stadium facilities at Western Springs.
The council has been trying to put the city’s stadiums on “a more sustainable financial footing” since June 2012, but numerous attempts have largely failed.
The situation in 2025 is no different to 2012 with the council owning and operating Go Media (Mt Smart), North Harbour and Western Springs, and the privately-owned Eden Park pushing its own boat.
The only change has been a recent effort to find a new operator for Western Springs with speedway finishing up last weekend after 96 years.
Ponsonby Rugby Club has been told its lease will not be extended beyond 2027, and three parties are in the running to take over the central city location.
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