Starting rotation NZ to fall further behind world for sporting events due to Auckland Council cuts
In the past few months New Zealand sports fans have enjoyed Sail GP, Hamilton Sevens and the ASB Classic, while there’s the Fifa women’s World Cup to look forward to, but the country is about to become close to a sporting wasteland when it comes to big events.
Ta¯ taki Auckland Unlimited, which is an arm of the Auckland Council, released data last week showing that the Auckland economy received a $38.2 million boost from a number of sporting and cultural events between September and February.
Rally New Zealand, which was part of the World Rally Championships, attracted a viewership of 92.9 million, generated 25,860 total new visitor nights for Auckland’s accommodation sector and visitor expenditure of $6.5m, including $2.9m by international travellers.
The Rugby World Cup injected an estimated $16.6m into the region’s economy, including $4.9m in international visitor expenditure.
Despite the horrendous weather, January’s ASB Classic had 90,100 attendees, a 13.9 million worldwide TV audience and 1500 international visitors.
Whether it’s in Auckland or the rest of the country, sport is good for the economy, as those numbers above demonstrate.
Not only that, but sporting events make New Zealand a good place to live in, to break up the monotony of everyday life.
Because of Covid-19, New Zealand experienced a large number of sporting events over a short period of time, with the Rugby World Cup and Rally NZ pushed back from their initial dates. But the cupboard is about to get very bare.
Rally NZ has disappeared from the WRC schedule, the Hamilton Sevens are gone and Supercars have taken New
Zealand off the schedule because of the lack of a suitable venue.
Yes, the ASB Classic is still going, but the absence of a roof does impact the long-term sustainability of the tournament.
Top players will be increasingly reluctant to sign up to play in New Zealand if, because of climate change, there’s the increasing chance that they’ll play matches on indoor courts in front of a handful of people, rather than prepare for the Australian Open, in the sun, in Australia.
Other countries have grasped the idea that the best way to boost economic recovery in a post-Covid world, as well as lift spirits, is to secure major sporting events and the price for these has gone up.
At a time when there will be less money set aside for sporting events in Auckland if the council’s proposal goes through, Australian states are looking to boost tourist numbers, with New
South Wales making available $530m, Queensland earmarking a further $48.2m on top of $100m per year already confirmed, Victoria spent an extra $152m over four years from 2020 and a renewed investment of $20m in its Regional Events Fund.
South Australia has more than doubled its Event Bid Fund to total funding of $90m over four years.
That money isn’t just for large sporting events, but a proportion of it will be used in that way and New Zealand is getting left further behind.
In Auckland, which like it or not is the best place in this country to hold big events because of the population, has nothing in the pipeline.
Ta¯ taki Auckland Unlimited, which is charged with enriching the cultural and economic life in Auckland and is the organisation which pumps money into sporting events in the region, is facing a $27.5m
Trying to save money by not bringing sporting events to Auckland – and New Zealand – is shortsighted.
budget cut under Auckland Council’s proposal, which is on top of $17m the agency was already asked to slash from its budget.
To secure top international sporting events requires years of work, from budgeting to the bidding process.
Currently, there’s hardly any of that going on and when these cuts go through, there is even less chance of that happening.
Trying to save money by not bringing sporting events to Auckland – and New Zealand – is short-sighted.
To be fair, this issue isn’t just with Auckland Council – Major Events New Zealand has been very quiet about any financial help it could give to Rally NZ.
Regardless of the long-term financial benefits, sport unites a nation like nothing else. Just think back to when the country stopped to witness the Black Ferns win the World Cup at Eden Park last year.
Those moments are in danger of becoming a thing of the past in this country.
So enjoy the Fifa Women’s World Cup, everyone, because there’s not going to be a lot after it.