RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has written to Auckland Council asking for feedback on a proposal to allow up to 20 medium-sized concerts of 10,000-30,000 people a year at Eden Park on top of the 12 concerts it currently hosts.
It is also recommended the venue should be allowed to host up to 12 “large” concerts of more than 30,000 attendees a year.
The suggestions are in a report by economic consultancy Incite that considers how restrictions at Eden Park may be holding back the regional economy.
The council has 20 working days to respond to Bishop. The mayor’s office was approached for comment.
Under new rules introduced as part of the Government’s resource management laws, Bishop ultimately has the power to implement changes if he chooses. The council’s response is due on November 28. Bishop said after consultation with the public and the council he hopes to “make further announcements by the end of this year”.
The Incite report warned restrictions currently placed on the stadium would cost $432 million in lost income and lead to 751 fewer jobs over the next decade if not relaxed.
“Eden Park is a vital asset for Auckland and for New Zealand, hosting major sporting and entertainment events that inject millions into the local economy,” Bishop said.
“Restrictive local planning rules, however, are stifling Eden Park’s ability to drive economic growth and create jobs,” according to the investigative report.
“We know that big concerts deliver big economic benefits. For instance, over three years, 14 Auckland shows, including Coldplay and Pearl Jam, generated $33.7m for the local economy.”
He said the public had been invited to give feedback on the report’s recommendations, which include:
The existing rules can be restrictive. The annual cap on concerts includes a rule that the 12 concerts be performed by no more than six artists or acts.
Concerts cannot be held on a Sunday unless it is a Sunday preceding a public holiday or suggested as a postponement date, and there cannot be more than four concerts in a four-week period.
“These rules were originally put in place in an attempt to balance use of Eden Park as a venue with the local community’s preferences around noise and traffic levels. However, it’s important to ensure the rules remain fit for purpose and do not unnecessarily hold back Auckland’s event and tourism sectors,” Bishop said.
Under changes made to the RMA this year, the minister can modify or remove RMA provisions that negatively impact economic growth, development capacity or employment.
In order to use these powers, the minister must first investigate the impacts of the provisions and whether specified statutory criteria are met, and produce a report that must be made publicly available.
They must then report those changes to Cabinet and consult with the relevant council.
Bishop is nearing the final stages of that process.
The restrictions are contained in the Auckland Unitary Plan and have been amended twice, once in 2021 to grant up to six concerts a year and again in 2024 to allow up to 12 concerts from up to six artists a year.
The changes have not always been popular. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark, who lives in the area and represented it as an MP for decades, previously told Newstalk ZB that Eden Park was not making full use of its current consents.
“It’s not using the permissions that it does have to the full extent,” she said.
Clark was also critical of the notion that lifting the cap would boost economic growth.
“All it does is take the concerts from some other venue like Mt Smart or Western Springs and put them to Eden Park – it distributes the impact differently in Auckland,” Clark said.
She said she favoured a new venue on the waterfront.
The report notes the changes Eden Park has undergone since it was established as a sports ground. It was only in 1997, after floodlights were built, that the stadium began hosting night-time events, then capped at 16 a year.
Investments were made before the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2011 and again in 2020 before the first concerts being hosted at the stadium.