The stadium race is on

So, the great stadium race has begun and Christchurch is off to an early lead. The announcement yesterday that the Government will contribute to a new metro sports centre in Christchurch, and that it will listen to a business case for a roofed stadium big enough for major events, will not have escaped the notice of other cities around the country.

Wellington will not want to get left behind. It has its own stadium plans, in the shape of a 12,000-seater arena that would double the number of events held at the TSB Arena each year. Wellington City Council has earmarked $85 million for the venue in its draft Long-term Plan, but won’t be able to fund a project expected to cost about $200m on its own.

A regional rate levied by Greater Wellington Regional Council – similar to the one that helped fund the Westpac Stadium – would help, but the Christchurch announcement has surely raised the prospect that the Government might chip in too. What’s good enough for Christchurch must be good enough for Labour-voting Wellington.

Some will no doubt argue the Government doesn’t have the money, but it could equally be argued that infrastructure spending is good for jobs and good for the economy.

A draft report presented to the Wellington region’s mayors this week estimated an indoor arena would bring in events worth about $26m each year.

That sort of economic outcome – if the estimates turn out to be realistic – would be well worth the investment.

Wellington City Council has previously signalled it might not start construction until about 2025, but after this week’s meeting, mayor Justin Lester said that timing was just a ‘‘place-holder’’.

‘‘We could bring it forward with the stroke of a pen. If someone said they could build it within four years, we would happily do so.’’

That ‘‘someone’’ could now be the Government, following its willingness to spend up on a stadium for Christchurch.

Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods, in making yesterday’s announcement, said a business case for the stadium would now be fast-tracked, and ‘‘we foresee a roofed stadium large enough to allow the city to host major test matches as well as entertainment events’’.

Such a venue would probably need about 30,000 seats and come with a price tag of anywhere up to $500m.

That would be more than enough to build an indoor arena in Wellington. The capital, along with Christchurch and Auckland, has been specifically excluded from the open faucet known as the Provincial Growth Fund, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a good case for the Government to spend some money there.

So, once Christchurch has its spanking new stadium, how about passing the baton to Wellington?