Sydney stadium a pointer for Auckland

Those supporting the building of a new Auckland should consider Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.

This was designed to hold 110,000 spectators for the 2000 Olympics. It has since been reconfigured for 83,500 and after less than 20 years it is scheduled to be demolished and replaced by a stadium with a capacity of 75,000 and a new Sydney football stadium to hold 45,000.

By the time this programme is complete Sydney will have spent somewhere between $3 million and $4m in roughly 20 years.

If Sydney, with a population of around 5.5m can have its needs catered for by a stadium of 83,000 then Auckland with a population of under 1.5m surely does not require a stadium seating 55,000 — particularly when you consider Eden Park has not been sold out for All Black tests over recent years.

The 2018-19 rate notices are about to be sent out but it is surely not too late to include a simple survey asking for our priorities.

The cost would be minimal and seems fully justified given nearly $1m of ratepayers’ funds have already been spent on this proposal without any public consultation, a proposal which might well come to nought.

I suggest such a survey could include such issues as roading, public transport, water and pollution all of which if resolved could make this a much more liveable city.