Stadium shakeup planned for Auckland

Photo / Richard Robinson

Eden Park will become the premier venue for all big rugby, league, limited-overs cricket and soccer matches in Auckland under a proposed reorganisation, being released today, of the city's under-used and financially shaky stadiums.

Test cricket would be moved to a new oval outside the main North Harbour Stadium and Mt Smart Stadium would remain the home base for the Warriors, except for games likely to attract more than 20,000 spectators, sources told the Herald last night.

There is also talk of moving speedway from suburban Western Springs to the outer ground of Mt Smart Stadium, where noise would not be a problem in the industrial zone.

Mt Smart would continue to host large concerts and outdoor events, while high-performance sports training clusters would be added to all three stadiums.

These and other proposals are in a discussion paper on future options and management of the city's three main sports venues being put out today by Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA), one of the council-controlled organisations of the Auckland Council.

Yesterday, RFA chairman Sir Don McKinnon told councillors the paper was the start of a public discussion following talks with stakeholders towards the end of last year.

"It's not going to be an easy time," Sir Don said. "There are already indications of opposition but there is a lot of support.

"Our job is to try and work out how best to get optimum use of all the stadiums. You [council] are not giving us any more money from what you have already set.

"We're not promising anything to anybody. It's a matter of how can we get better use."

A senior council officer said a focus of the paper would be better management of the three stadiums.

Eden Park is managed by a trust board, but Auckland ratepayers underwrote the final $40 million of the $256 million upgrade for the Rugby World Cup and are owed $6.5 million from an outstanding loan on the construction of the ASB North Stand.

North Harbour Stadium is also managed by a trust but dependent on ratepayer money to stay afloat, while the council-owned and run-down Mt Smart Stadium requires substantial capital investment.

The idea is to bring all three stadiums under a single governance and management structure.

Opposition to one of the proposals has already been voiced. Auckland Cricket chief executive Mark Cameron said he didn't believe creating a venue solely for test cricket at North Harbour Stadium was viable.

The association didn't favour moving its domestic matches north of the harbour bridge, Mr Cameron said.

"It would be very hard to justify a new venue solely for test match cricket so one would have to assume it would have to include Auckland's representative programme - and I can tell you right now that we are happy at Eden Park," he said.

"We have got historical and statutory rights to remain at Eden Park and that would be our position."

Auckland Cricket's preferred option was to play all Aces matches and test matches at Eden Park's outer oval.

The oval is due to be redeveloped in time for the next cricket season later this year, enabling the association to return to its traditional home from a temporary base at Colin Maiden Park in Glen Innes.