Brian Rudman: Wanted - 420,000 suckers to pay for rugby temple

It's awfully big of Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard to proclaim that you and I are 110 per cent behind the bid for the 2011 World Cup rugby, but it would have been nice to be consulted first.

Particularly when it looks as if the Government and Rugby Union are lining up Auckland ratepayers as the suckers who will have to pay much of the required "up to $130 million" to upgrade Eden Park

"I'm putting the weight of 420,000 Aucklanders behind the bid," the mayor generously declared, adding that "even folk with no interest in rugby can see the benefits". Maybe.

The biggest single outlay will be producing a national venue with a capacity larger than Eden Park's current 45,000 seats. Options range from additional temporary seating at Eden Park costing some $20 million to a major $130 million rebuild of Auckland's home of rugby, creating seating for 60,000.

Also in the air, but hopefully floating off into Never-never Land, is a new 75,000-seat national stadium, which could cost upwards of $400 million.

At Wednesday's launch, Rugby Union chiefs and Sports Minister Trevor Mallard nimbly sidestepped any suggestions they might pay for new infrastructure.

Perhaps Mr Hubbard should put the weight of 420,000 Aucklanders to the test and press home to the Government and the Rugby Union that if they, as promoters of the World Cup bid, want these costly new venues, then they should pay for them. He could point out to Mr Mallard that as far as infrastructure goes, his Government is demanding we spend every spare cent we have on roads and public transport.

A more considered approach to the World Cup came at last week's meeting of Auckland City's economic development committee. It had secret discussions on "a major sporting event stadium in Auckland City".

It was all very hush-hush, but apparently they voted to work with central Government, other Auckland councils and the Rugby Union to find the most practical way of creating a suitable World Cup venue. The discussion centred on an upgraded Eden Park.

Bureaucrats are now busy preparing a report on the whole issue. Hopefully, their findings will, sooner than later, be shared with those of us being asked to pay the bills.

Rugby Union chairman Jock Hobbs went all poetic at Wednesday's press conference, declaring: "We might be a small country but we are a stadium of four million people and the theme for our bid is all around this room. It's all rugby."

To me, that's a perfect argument for the four million people and the Rugby Union fronting up with the costs of said stadium.

I can't help feeling that building a mega-stadium for one event like this is a recipe for yet another sporting white elephant.

A wander through the vast cluster of under-used Sydney Olympic venues is a salutary experience. Reports suggest Greece nearly beggared itself with its Olympic monument-building. Both of these were national exercises, not city ones, so at least all the costs didn't come back to the citizens of one city. In Auckland, the reverse is the case.

Not only is the Government shying away from any contribution, but if things pan out as usual, the majority of Aucklanders who live outside Auckland City boundaries will absolve themselves of any regional responsibilities, and leave it to us mugs who live inside the boundaries of the old city.

Penny Sefuiva, chairwoman of Auckland City's recreation committee, raises some pertinent points. If the city does support such a massive project, it should be for multi-code use, not just rugby, if only to lessen the inevitable running losses.

She asks how the city is expected to maintain such a stadium once built. She also queries where it sits in the city's list of priorities. "Should we be worrying about the 2011 World Cup or should we be getting the rest of our infrastructure worked out first?"

Without wanting to be disloyal, I'm hoping the above discussion will prove to be academic. Aussie bookmakers Centrebet rank the New Zealand bid as having only an outside chance, well behind front-runners Japan and South Africa.