Quay Park stadium for Auckland?
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NZR is supporting a development there.
Exclusive: NZR backs 'transformational' Auckland waterfront stadium
It's a change of tack for New Zealand Rugby, who have traditionally been neutral.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is backing a downtown stadium for Auckland, as the long-term solution for the city.
The national sport’s governing body has aligned itself with one of the three consortiums proposing a new waterfront venue.
Such a stance by NZR is almost unprecedented in more than three decades of stadium debates in Auckland, as they have usually preferred to be neutral, or backed the status quo.
As reported in the Weekend Herald, on December 11 the Auckland council working group, put together by Mayor Wayne Brown to strategise on the best future option for a main stadium in the city, heard extended submissions from four parties.
The quartet were: Eden Park, with their 2.0 redevelopment, the downtown options at Bledisloe Wharf (”the sunken stadium”), Quay Park on the eastern part of the waterfront near Spark Arena, and the Tank Farm proposal, near Wynyard Point.
The groups gave 75-minute presentations, with a range of speakers on each pitch.
The Herald has been told NZR chief executive Mark Robinson was part of the Quay Park presentation team, outlining his vision and the benefits for the city as a whole.
The details of the presentations are highly confidential but observers in the room said Robinson emphasised the “transformational” impact of that particular bid – which is based on a sporting and entertainment precinct rather than just a venue – as well as the overall positives of having an inner-city venue.
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I suppose with this trend of building a smaller stadium closer to city centre to match the diminishing popularity of the sport. There will be future good news. When they outshrink the 30k stadium at the Quays it will be quite cheap to build a 3k stadium at the bottom of Queen Street (assuming we continue ignore land costs/rights, like we are doing).
Maybe NZR should concentrate on not having competitions and a sport so dire it loses about 3k paying Auckland spectators per annum.
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@Rapido i know in of themselves stadiums dont make money, but cant help wonder if NZR/super franchises would be better to have some sort of share in their grounds rather than just complaining local councils dont support them, an actual asset on their books.
Lots/most? of teams around the world own their grounds or the grounds are owned separately but the same owners
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@Kiwiwomble said in Quay Park stadium for Auckland?:
@Rapido i know in of themselves stadiums dont make money, but cant help wonder if NZR/super franchises would be better to have some sort of share in their grounds rather than just complaining local councils dont support them, an actual asset on their books.
Lots/most? of teams around the world own their grounds or the grounds are owned separately but the same owners
Sh!t no. That would be a financial disaster for the codes.
or
Sh!t yes, That would be a financial blessing for the ratepayer and taxpayer.
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@Rapido maybe not the size of stadium they all demand other people build for them....but ones the size they actually use
AFC wimbledon have just build a new 10k stadium (with foundaitons for expansion to 20k) in london for 30M pounds, surely the highlanders could do the same in dunedin for a fraction of that and have an actual asset
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@Kiwiwomble said in Quay Park stadium for Auckland?:
@Rapido maybe not the size of stadium they all demand other people build for them....but ones the size they actually use
AFC wimbledon have just build a new 10k stadium (with foundaitons for expansion to 20k) in london for 30M pounds, surely the highlanders could do the same in dunedin for a fraction of that and have an actual asset
It works in English football (or most European football) with 25 to 35 homes games a season, and people actually turn up to watch.
For historical context.
The Eden Park Trust board is still 100% owned by the ARFU and Auckland Cricket (50% each), but they needed public money to fund the upgrades for RWC 2011. They still own it.The ORFU used to 100% own Carisbrook. They sold it to the council in 2010ish in exchange for a bailout ($1m in debt, which seems laughably small now), and a new public stadium. They couldn't afford to upgrade/maintain it. Although they had actually built new replacement stands in 1992 (main stand), 1993 (terrace extension and corporate boxes, and late 90s (northern end stand replacement and extend roof around corner of terrace)
Lancaster Park was owned by the Victory Park Trust Board. Which was similar to Auckland structure, a 50% each shared by the rugby union and cricket board. I'm not sure if the council had taken it over before the earthquakes, probably had.
Rugby Park in Hamilton. I'm not sure of the land ownership, but the facility was owned by Waikato Rugby Union. But the council took it over to develop it into Waikato Stadium (1 new stand, 2 new uncovered terrace ends, and lowering the playing surface by a few metres).
Wellington Rugby Union had Athletic Park land on a 99 year lease, and stopped spending any money on stand/s facilities about 40 years before expiry of lease.
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An interesting thing in NZ is the changes (reduction to 50%) to the tax deductability of entertainment expenses.
Has had a huge effect on coporate boxes and lounges at NZ venues.
Go to Caketin and look up at the lights off ghost town of the Coporate box level.
However, this is also hard to totally unpick from:
- the general unattractiveness of going to events by employees. They just aren't interested, my friends with the 'keys' to corporate boxes just can't get anyone interested often enough.
- the boring wowser attitude to binge drinking the corporate-paid-for booze by Gen Y and Gen Z
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surely this only stacks up if it becomes the national stadium and all national football games are played here.
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@mariner4life ....youre probably right...would have been good if that was decided before chch started their new big stadium aiming to attract AB games etc
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@Machpants said in Quay Park stadium for Auckland?:
One of them was in the tank farm, I take it that is derelict now?
she's pretty built up there now - not sure there's space left! Then no doubt the new apartment dwellers would complain
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If stadiums made money, private investors would build them. The only stadium that makes money from operations is Eden Park, and even then, that's only before depreciation.
The economics of regional development don't really hold up either as usually they are just moving money around the country. Something like a Lions Tour or world cup is an exception to that as they bring in overseas visitors, but not on a scale that really justifies the expense. If a region doesn't have one, it will find it loses some spending to other regions that do, but again, not enough to justify the expense.
All that said, I don't personally have a problem with councils building stadiums, even big ones - it's an amenity that adds to the vibe of a city. I just wish everyone would stop pretending there's an economic argument in New Zealand and admit that they are being built because we want the ability to watch live shows and sport at big stadiums.
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NZ Rugby's (silver) lake of fire
Another internecine rugby war looms; stadium stuff Pt LXVII; netball has issues; and why watching Will bat is so delightfully frustrating.
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Looks fucking good on paper
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The detailed plans - unveiled for the first time by the Weekend Herald - include up to four hotels - among them a signature All Blacks hotel integrated into the stadium, along with bars, restaurants and retail outlets, commercial office space and scope for about 2000 residential apartments, framed by public plazas and park areas.
Anchoring the precinct is the spectacular 50,000-seat stadium (which can be scaled down to 20,000 capacity for smaller events) with a unique sculptured design inspired by Auckland’s isthmus and cultural heritage.
And rather than inward facing like many stadia, it looks out towards the Waitematā Harbour, with a panorama of Rangitoto. The stadium, which also features an “accordion” style retractable roof, has an iconic look that designers hope in time could become Auckland’s equivalent of the Sydney Opera House.
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Yet again, who's funding it, and where is the land coming from? so many 'concepts' thrown around - I don't even bother reading these any more. Which is going ahead - the Eden Park full roof + extra shit, or this one, or the Wynyard stadium, or the Ports located stadium?
Stadia are cool, but the business cases almost never stack up.
Masterplan
