The future of Western Springs Stadium was confirmed by the Auckland Council this week, but for one councillor, it represents the latest step in a decade-long pattern of flip-flopping proposals.
Councillor John Watson remains convinced that the winning proposal is illogical and says he has little faith in Tātaki Auckland Unlimited’s (TAU) track record managing the stadium.
After a five-hour debate, councillors voted 15-6 in favour of a recommendation from TAU to proceed with the “Western Springs Bowl” – a hybrid model designed to operate as Hollywood Bowl-inspired outdoor concert venue in summer and a broadcast-capable sports venue in winter.
It would also be the base for Ponsonby Rugby Club.
Watson, who voted against the proposal, said the decision capped off years of wildly different visions for the same site. Drawing on more than a decade on council – and even testing the history with a simple AI prompt – Watson produced a list of proposed uses Western Springs has been subjected to.
The plans have ranged from international cricket and AFL, to a hybrid oval and events venue, to the long‑time home of speedway and Ponsonby Rugby, then a privately-funded football stadium for Auckland FC, and now a concert‑first amphitheatre.
The changes in proposals sometimes came within months of each other.
“So we’ve gone motor sport, rugby, future cricket, football, concert amphitheatre, and it’s described as being the most radically and repeatedly reimagined stadium in Auckland,” Watson said.
“What credibility is there to a process that relates to this stadium when that’s been the sequence of events over the last decade.”
Watson said the constant reinvention had eroded his confidence in TAU, which owns and operates Western Springs and other major council‑owned stadiums.
“The real change that needs to take place is with the entity managing Western Springs and our other stadiums – that’s the real problem.”
TAU chief executive Nick Hill was on hand at this week’s council meeting and responded to Watson’s concerns.
Hill said Western Springs Stadium had long been under-utilised, given its central location and natural amenity, and could deliver greater value for Aucklanders.
“While some of that past thinking was somewhat ad hoc, decisions now are being guided by clear principles focusing on practical value and better use, rather than speculative reinvention,” Hill said in a statement to the Herald.
Hill said Western Springs had also been shaped by uncertainty across Auckland’s wider stadium network over the past decade, driven by the absence of a clear, agreed council strategy.
“Western Springs often became the venue where different ideas landed – whether to fill gaps, test concepts put forward by various parties, or respond to changing pressures as the city grew.
“Importantly, the current proposal is a pragmatic step forward.”
Speaking to the Herald after the council voted to green‑light the Western Springs Bowl, Watson remained unconvinced.
“Western Springs is a magnificent natural amphitheatre,” he said.
“In the past, Western Springs was run really successfully with speedway, with rugby, and with concerts.
“That will not happen under Tātaki – they’re just not up to it.”
Auckland councillors controversially voted to move speedway to Onehunga’s Waikaraka Park in 2024.
The Western Springs Bowl concept was spearheaded by concert promoter Brent Eccles.
He said this week that Western Springs could become a world-class concert venue, attracting overseas artists.
“Western Springs is a rare asset for a major city. A large capacity, central, natural amphitheatre with flat grassed areas, concrete terraces, toilet facilities, and permanent ticket entry gates.
“Few other cities have anything like this, and those that do, such as the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles or Red Rocks in Denver, hold them close.”
It’s estimated that $2.5 million of public funding would be required to build a permanent stage structure and for other upgrades to the stadium. That would come out of the council’s destination, event and cultural agency TAU’s existing budget.