Drawcards: Stadiums, shows and the Zoo
In the past financial year, $379m was budgeted by Auckland Council and three council-controlled organisations to develop the city and provide a feelgood factor. These agencies spent $325m running events and meeting their day-to-day costs. Bernard Orsman breaks down the numbers.
Auckland missed a bit of fun in the last 12 months. Part of Auckland Zoo was closed to visitors, three outdoor concerts did not go ahead and the Christchurch terrorist attack led to the cancellation of the Pasifika Festival.
Making matters worse, a section of Quay St was closed to traffic to make the waterfront more people-friendly ahead of the America’s Cup in 2021.
Normally, the council bodies which provide a feelgood factor for the city would be happy with the calendar of events, but last year was tough.
The reasons were laid bare when Regional Facilities Auckland(RFA), Panuku Development Auckland and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) presented their third quarter reports to councillors last month.
Regional Facilities reported that revenue was down due to two large theatre productions being postponed and three outdoor concerts not going ahead. They did not name the events.
Problems with the $67 million refurbishment of the Aotea Square and a new South East Asia precinct at the zoo were affecting revenue, RFA bosses said.
Conventions, stadiums, concerts and other entertainment “remains cyclical and volatile” they told councillors.
Ateed reported reduced revenue from Kumeu Film Studios, the Waka Festival being delayed until 2021, Pasifika Festival cancelled and fewer visitors to the city from fewer major events.
Panuku, charged with selling assets to develop Wynyard Quarter and town centres, said capital spending was running $30m behind budget.
Council’s director of infrastructure and environmental services Barry Potter also broke the news last month that three showcase projects for the
America’s Cup in March 2021 may not be ready in time.
The projects are a footbridge connecting the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter, a pedestrian plaza by the ferry basin in Quay St and a plaza outside Britomart. However, he said the alliance building the bases for the America’s Cup was on track and within budget. Potter was pleased a business case design had started for the Victoria linear park — a pedestrian-friendly link between Albert Park and Victoria Park.
RFA boss Chris Brooks and Ateed head Nick Hill acknowledge there were fewer big events in the city last year, but the city kept humming with plenty of sport, arts and cultural shows. After years of cutbacks, the art gallery got a $2 million boost to its budget (fee-paying international visitors were down), a record 755,000 people visited the zoo, Taylor Swift and Fat Freddy’s Drop played concerts and two big shows, War Horse and Disney’s Aladdin the Musical, came to town.
He is picking a big turnaround this summer with a strong concert season that includes Metallica, U2 and Elton John.
Brooks said last year was pretty tough revenue-wise, losing the Viaduct Events Centre on the waterfront to Team New Zealand and cutting entry prices at the zoo to reflect part of it being closed for the contruction of the South East Asian precinct. Another setback has been the refurbishment of the Aotea Centre, which has faced delays and risen in cost from $52.8m to $66.8m after a redesign on the exterior panels following London’s Grenfell tower fire.
Last year, $36m was budgeted for the project. Hill said holding major events was a lumpy business. The year before last was big with the World Masters Games and the Lions Tour.
The year after next — 2021 — would be busy with the America’s Cup and Apec leaders conference. Regardless of the showcase events, Ateed carries on supporting many medium and small-sized annual events, including the ASB Tennis Classic, Diwali, Lantern Festival, Auckland Writers Festival and New Zealand Fashion Week.
Hill said Ateed used last year to do a lot working with the tourism industry to create a more sustainable future for the industry, including a new winter festival called Elemental that kicked off this month celebrating food, art and light in the city centre.
Other highlights for Ateed included contributing towards $100m of new investment in the city, from film production to new hotels, and publishing a report on where jobs are needed in Auckland over the next 10 years.
An extension to the popular promenade around Westhaven marina proved a tough lesson for Panuku, whose capital budget ramped up before it had the expertise and staff to deliver projects.
Instead of getting on and building the extension towards the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron last year, chief operating officer David Rankin said it under-estimated the need to work with residents, berth holders, mana whenua and do consent and design work.
As a result, Panuku spent about $2.9m on these matters and delayed the $17m construction until this year.
“We acknowledge we have to lift our game. We have made progress but we have further to go,” Rankin said.
Among the highlights for Panuku were making a start on a new parking building in Huron St as part of turning Takapuna’s Anzac St car park into a new town square, restoring the historic Vos shipyard at Wynyard Quarter and early work to revitalise Onehunga with a laneway project and planning work to redevelop the local wharf.