Mad Butcher and Len Brown butt heads over Mt Smart debate

Peter Leitch, aka The Mad Butcher, is fighting to keep the Warriors at Mt Smart. Photo / NZ Herald

The Mad Butcher and mayor of Auckland butted heads over the ongoing Mt Smart stadium debate this morning.

Sir Peter Leitch said Auckland Council were "idiots" to suggest the Warriors rugby league franchise should move from Mt Smart.

"Len's got a problem with the transport, okay. Len, leave us at Mt Smart and I'll have a talk to my good friend John Key and sort it out for you," he said on TV One's Breakfast show.

Sir Peter reaffirmed his promise to fight for the Warriors to keep Mt Smart.

He said it was absurd to suggest the Warriors moved to the North Shore.

"You wouldn't want to get kicked out of your home, would you?"

Sir Peter said it was ridiculous to suggest the long-established Speedway should move from Western Springs to Mt Smart to appease residents who lived near the speedway and complained about noise.

"If you buy a house next to a bloody speedway, you're going to get noise."

Mr Brown said there was an overseas example of league co-existing with other codes in Queensland's Suncorp Stadium.

The Mayor said the issue was about funding.

"The issue is, Mt Smart needs serious work. And who's going to pay for that?"

But Sir Peter said it was hypocritical for the council to cite financial problems as a reason to uproot the league franchise.

"They moved into bloody new flash offices. They found the money for the World Cup rugby. They can find it for bloody Mt Smart as well, let me tell ya."

Mr Brown told Newstalk ZB he expected a decision on the "final configuration" of Auckland's sports stadiums within a year.

He said at today's budget and Long Term Plan meeting the council would sign off a $30m budget for Regional Facilities Auckland, which runs venues including Mt Smart and Western Springs.