Waterfront stadium plan has critics

Secret plans to build a new stadium on Auckland’s waterfront have been met by long-standing opposition.

The plan, put forward by a group of businesspeople, was to build a stadium partly sunken into reclaimed land at Bledisloe Wharf. It had been provided to a range of public agencies and officials, on condition they signed non-disclosure agreements, Newsroom reported..

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff confirmed to the Herald that he knew of the plan, but did not speak to allegations of secrecy.

“I have been approached by a private sector consortium of local businesses who are interested in building a downtown stadium,” Goff said.

“Council is not in the position to finance a stadium through ratepayer funding and it is not on our current list of priorities.

“We are, however, open to considering a national stadium being funded from the private sector.

“I would welcome public debate around the design and location of any stadium which would provide council with valuable feedback on possible options for the future.”

A recent pre-feasibility study conducted by consulting firm PwC estimated it would cost between $1.1 billion and $1.5b to build the stadium in downtown Auckland.

Goff said earlier this year that there is no money in the 10-year budget for the stadium, but there could be funding when the Budget is renewed in three years.

Despite new proposed investment by the private sector, two fixed opponents to the stadium told the Herald their stance had not changed.

Albany Ward councillor John Watson said while the idea might sound exciting or attractive, the practicality is that it would be very expensive and very disruptive.

“Any location in downtown is not without its challenges. The first thing people have questioned in the past is whether it is really the best use of prime waterfront land,” he said.

Watson said the other thing that he would be asking is what did it mean for Auckland’s other stadiums.

Auckland University of Technology deputy head of engineering Professor John Tookey said he had no issue with the private sector “coming to the party with a bucket load of cash” but there were other issues to be addressed.

“Irrespective of it being an undertaking by a private consortium, it has an enormous collateral impact upon the surrounding neighbours and everything else associated with the location,” he said.

Tookey said plans also needed to address what would happen if the consortium went belly up part-way through.