No money for a new downtown Auckland waterfront stadium in Mayor Phil Goff's budget

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says there is no money in his 10-year budget for a downtown stadium costing up to $1.5 billion, but there could be funding when the budget is renewed in three years.

Goff is discussing plans for a national stadium in the central city with the Government, but says it is unlikely to be built before the 2030s when the city hosts another Rugby World Cup or the Commonwealth Games.

He raised the prospect of a new stadium shortly after coming to office in 2016 and has received a pre-feasibility study from PwC, costing $932,000, recommending a run-off between five possible downtown sites and upgrading Eden Park.

Goff said there was never intended to be any money in the 2018-2028 budget for a stadium, but the council would have to be seriously think about funding in the next 10-year budget, which runs into the 2030s.

The budget has $26b for new projects over the next decade, mostly for tackling transport, housing and environmental issues.

Goff said he had quite deliberately raised the issue of a stadium early in this term after being mindful of what happened in 2006 when the Helen Clark Labour Government of which he was a member offered hundreds of millions to build a waterfront stadium for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Auckland Council supported the idea, but with several conditions, and the Auckland Regional Council said no.

Goff said Eden Park deserves to have fair consideration, saying the Eden Park Trust Board had told him upgrading the park would cost about $800 million to knock down at least one of the stadiums, turn the area into a rectangular stadium for football codes and build a retractable roof.

A New Zealand-based consortium has approached Goff about building a downtown stadium and the global entertainment company Live Nation has expressed interest in being involved in a consortium, which could bring forward the stadium plans.

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However, Goff and Sports Minister Grant Robertson have indicated they have more pressing priorities at the moment.

Goff said there was some money in the 10-year budget for further development of Western Springs for a cricket oval and other sporting codes and some money if current discussions with speedway for a regional motorsport park make progress.