Rugby shakeup puts spotlight on stadium
A radical review of New Zealand rugby has seen renewed calls for the $50 million upgrade of New Plymouth’s Yarrow Stadium to be axed.
But Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) say the review has actually strengthened the decision.
Yesterday, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) began the process of overhauling the national game following a review, which has identified opportunities to increase revenue and remove inefficiencies, to potentially find $20-30m for reinvestment into the game.
While details are sketchy, a massive revamp of provincial rugby is on the cards, including possible changes to domestic competitions, a new high-performance pathway and the way resources are allocated.
The McKinsey report was presented to provincial unions yesterday. The purpose of the review was to look at issues such as falling playing numbers and the lack of fans attending Mitre 10 Cup and Super Rugby games.
Opponents of the Yarrow Stadium upgrade say the review shows the ‘‘folly’’ of spending $50 million on a rugby stadium, while the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) believes the review means Taranaki rugby may become more sustainable.
NZR chief executive Mark Robinson was notably wary of being pinned down on specifics. He did say the review didn’t make any recommendations about stadiums, but he understood it was a topic of interest in Taranaki. ‘‘We’re looking at a whole range of options around things like competitions and match days where there may be opportunities to create more efficiencies.’’
New Plymouth District councillor Gordon Brown, an outspoken critic of the stadium rebuild, said NZR had ordered the review because of falling attendances, falling player numbers and falling viewers.
‘‘It just confirms, again, the folly of the decision the Taranaki Regional Council made against a tidal wave of opposition from the community.’’
It’s not too late to reverse the decision, Brown said.
‘‘I would honestly urge every councillor to search their conscience and say is this the best use of $50m of Taranaki ratepayers money. The answer is overwhelmingly no.’’
The community is doing things differently and rugby and racing were two prime examples, he said.
‘‘That’s why, more than ever, we should be focused on a multipurpose sports stadium at the racecourse and incorporating racing as part of that. It’s such an obvious solution and can be done for much less than the stadium.’’
In an emailed statement, TRC chairman David MacLeod said there are no substantive issues in NZR’s statements to halt or postpone work on the Yarrow Stadium repair and refurbishment project.
‘‘We’re in close contact with key people at both NZ Rugby and Taranaki Rugby and the TRFU have made it absolutely clear that Yarrow Stadium is the home of their sport in Taranaki and that there are no proposals to move rugby from the stadium.
‘‘The sentiment from the rugby community in relation to the review findings is that Taranaki rugby may well be more sustainable in the future.’’
No one from Taranaki Rugby would talk about NZR’s review.
NZR will now begin consulting with provincial rugby unions on the review’s findings.
Robinson wouldn’t be drawn into whether there would be job cuts in provincial unions or whether the regional academies would be axed.
He did not make any guarantees around provincial competitions, the Mitre 10 Cup, the Farah Palmer Cup or the Heartland Competition.
‘‘It will come back to that group of people determining how we can foster and grow interest and engagement in those competitions and look at what options we have for the future.
‘‘This is not a top down process from New Zealand Rugby. We are really keen to understand what all our stakeholders feel they need for credible and meaningful competitions.’’
It presents an opportunity to take the game to another level, he said.
‘‘No decisions have been made. This next phase is about consultation and for rugby to determine which path we think is best for the game’s future.
‘‘We know that rugby in our regions has a rich and proud history and we want to maintain that connection.’’