A Kingsland local has complained about the behaviour of students attending school balls at Eden Park, hoping the stadium will stop being used as a venue.
Video / Supplied
An irate Eden Park neighbour wants school balls banned from the stadium, deeming them a "complete nightmare" for residents.
The resident, who requested to remain anonymous, says loud music, congested traffic and anti-social behaviour she witnessed by those linked to the Avondale College school ball, held last night at EdenPark, have been constant problems for years.
A spokeswoman for the local residents association said while they hadn't surveyed residents on the issue, they personally believed a solution could be found through proactive communication from stadium management.
And the Eden Park Trust Board apologised for any inconvenience and confirmed it was "reviewing" all future school ball bookings with relevant schools in a bid to avoid future issues.
Avondale College did not respond to a request for comment.
The resident, who had lived in the area for nearly three decades, considered the school ball season the primary inconvenience of living near the stadium.
"I would have thought by now that Eden Park would finally realise that it is nothing short of a complete nightmare for residents," she said.
"We have burnouts, people on top of cars, patched gang members blocking the street, constant external speakers and intimidating ball-goers, not to mention the fear.
"Without fail, this occurs every year."
Like many events, school balls were hit by Covid-19 in recent years.
However, it was understood some were hosted at Eden Park last year - including one that reportedly featured patched gang members linked to those attending the function.
Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner. Photo / NZME
Residents were informed of impending school ball functions being hosted at the stadium through a notice on Wednesday from The Hood - an initiative used to communicate with Eden Park neighbours.
"With school ball season upon us, a number of secondary schools have requested to hold their annual senior ball at Eden Park and it's great these special events, which are the highlight of the school social calendar, can now go ahead," the notice said.
"As with all our events, the Eden Park team is working closely with our function personnel and security teams to ensure each school ball function runs smoothly and has the required supervision and staff.
"Our events team is also meeting with the principal, senior leadership team and organisers from each school to agree on the event protocols and expectations for the students as they arrive and depart from Eden Park."
It also announced event information would be provided to Auckland police this year, so they could assist as necessary.
People with concerns were encouraged to ring the dedicated hotline on 09 815 4820.
The trust said in a statement the venue was a "community asset", and thanked the upset resident for raising concerns about Friday night's ball.
"And we apologise for any disruption caused while the students were arriving at Eden Park," the statement said.
"It is extremely disappointing that a small group did not comply with the strict event arrival protocols which were discussed with the school. Eden Park does not condone any behaviour that causes disruption to our residents."
The Eden Park team had "worked very closely with our function personnel and security teams to ensure each school ball event runs smoothly and is appropriately staffed for the occasion".
"This year new security protocols were implemented which involved our team meeting with the school principal, senior leadership team and ball organisers from each school to obtain their assurance they will meet the high expectations we have around student arrival and departure from Eden Park and providing event information to the Auckland Police control centre who also have real-time access to the cameras located in our carparks and surrounding areas."
The statement said it was "unfortunate that the disrespectful behaviour of a limited number of people could impact our ability to host these types of events in the future".
"We are currently reviewing all future school ball bookings and will be undertaking discussions with each school over the coming weeks."
The issue of school balls causing headaches for residents wasn't new - the Herald reported similar concerns in May last year following functions involving Westlake Girls' and Auckland Girls' Grammar schools.
Eden Park Residents Association spokeswoman Shona Tagg said the group hadn't surveyed residents on the matter, but was open to the idea if locals felt it was necessary.
She recognised it had been an issue in the past, often inflamed by poor communication from the stadium management which had left residents unaware an event was being held.
Tagg did not comment on whether local residents wanted school balls banned from Eden Park, as the matter hadn't been thoroughly canvassed.
Personally, she believed a solution could be found that would allow students - whose schooling had been severely impacted by Covid-19 - to attend their school ball at a top facility like Eden Park.
"If they can get the situation to be managed so it doesn't impact residents and be transparent about the activities then I would be in favour of it."
