Dunedin has ear of promoters
THE man in charge of Forsyth Barr Stadium is dismissing talk of a new rival in the north, saying the ‘‘build it they will come’’ approach will not be enough for Christchurch.
Dunedin Venues chief executive Terry Davies was commenting after plans to fasttrack the business case for a new roofed stadium in Christchurch were announced yesterday.
However, with key details about the new stadium yet to be confirmed, Mr Davies told the Otago Daily Times the announcement was ‘‘really nothing’’.
‘‘For me, I don’t really take much notice, to be honest, about what’s going on in Christchurch. It doesn’t really affect how we operate.’’
The announcement by Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods confirmed the opening of a multipurpose metro sports facility in Christchurch would occur by 2021.
At the same time, the Government and council had agreed to work together to hasten the business case for a new stadium, she said.
Exact details would depend on the business case, but ‘‘we foresee a roofed stadium that will allow the city to host major rugby test matches and other significant sports and entertainment events’’, she said.
The announcement was immediately dismissed by National’s Nicky Wagner, who said the lack of details about the new stadium ‘‘kicked it for touch into the distant future’’.
But Mr Davies, speaking from Australia, where he is meeting music promoters, told the ODT it did not matter what Christchurch decided to build, or when, as long as Dunedin continued to punch above its weight.
The city had grabbed promoters’ attention by selling out Fleetwood Mac on a Wednesday night, and again by drawing nearly 120,000 fans to three huge Ed Sheeran concerts, he said.
That gave promoters confidence Dunedin could pull crowds from far beyond the city boundary, making old ideas about the relative sizes of Dunedin and Christchurch irrelevant, he said.
Instead, good relationships with promoters and the commercial results Dunedin was delivering were the keys to success, he said.
‘‘You only have to go back to the first couple of years of the stadium here. Build it and they will come? I’m not so sure, Mr Davies said.
‘‘I think that’s part of it, but you’ve got to get all your ducks in a row.’’
Four options have previously been discussed for Christchurch’s new venue, ranging in size from 25,000 to 30,000 permanent seats, and another 5000 temporary seats, together with a roof.
The Crusaders and other sports teams have been using the upgraded Rugby League Park since the 2011 earthquake damaged Lancaster Park beyond repair.
There have been growing calls for a larger, weatherproof stadium which can host All Blacks matches and large concerts — similar to Dunedin’s stadium.
The new stadium is expected to cost about $500 million, and the Christchurch City Council has already committed to paying half of that amount.
The Government has committed $300 million to speed up Christchurch’s rebuild projects, some of which would be in next month’s Budget.
It would be up to the council to decide whether to spend that money on the stadium, and a construction timetable was yet to be set.
Mr Davies said the stadium project remained a ‘‘political hot potato’’ for Christchurch, but he was ‘‘not too fussed’’ by the uncertainty.
‘‘It doesn’t matter if it was two years or 10 years. It doesn’t change the way we operate.
‘‘We’ll be hard to push off the perch, because we’re doing most things right and we’re improving all the time.’’ — Additional reporting