Auckland Council will finally be asked to make a decision on the great Auckland stadium debate with a working group today set to put forward two options for consideration. Scotty Stevenson compares and contrasts the two likely proposals.
In the blue corner, Eden Park 2.1, with a revamped northern stand and a lid on top, a concept that has moved on since the original 2.0 vision and one that is understood to be capable of being funded without the need for ratepayer investment, although there are plenty of commentators who question the validity of that claim.
In the red corner, the Te Toangaroa precinct development seeks to revitalise Ngāti Whātua land on the eastern edge of the CBD and will include a 50,000 seat stadium that consortium heads are calling “Auckland’s Sydney Opera House”.
1News understands the Wynyard Quarter proposal and the “Sunken Stadium” on Auckland’s waterfront will not be presented to councillors as viable options.
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For Eden Park, history is the pull. The biggest sporting venue in the country has assumed, possibly by default, the title of “New Zealand’s National Stadium” and can still boast the most comprehensive menu of New Zealand sporting moments.
Eden Park is banking on the fact enough Aucklanders see value in history and in tradition. As ambitious as its redevelopment is, there are still sticking points for it to truly play to its potential. A parochial and pedantic resident’s association is among them.
Somewhat quixotically, New Zealand Rugby — which has long revelled in the success of the All Black at Eden Park — has rushed in to support the Te Toangaroa development. The organisation has seen an opportunity to stamp its brand on a new stadium with an All Blacks themed hotel among the many draw cards. I’m not sure whether it will feature pillows scented in liniment or a turn down service offered by former players, but where there’s a dollar there’s a chase. NZR’s position as backer of the new venture will likely be met with resistance from Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown, who is believed to be somewhat less of a fan of the organisation than they would perhaps like.
There are questions over whether Eden Park, in its current form or in redeveloped glory, is actually the best place for sport beneath the odd All Blacks test or white ball international. In its own 2023 Annual Report, the Eden Park Trust lists attendances for its rugby fixtures.
In total it said 156,000 people attended rugby events from the Women’s World Cup in 2022 to the conclusion of the National Provincial Championship season in 2023. More than 60,000 of those fans were counted across the two finals days of the world cup. The Blues biggest attendance was 19,885 for their first match against the Crusaders, while the NPC team drew a season high crowd of 2477 and a low of just 973.
Given those numbers, it would be surprising to see the Auckland team play further NPC fixtures at Eden Park while Auckland Cricket will move to Colin Maiden Oval after fixtures on the Number 2 ground became untenable, both because of safety concerns (the ground is bounded on one side by a busy arterial route) and the need for long lead times for concerts.
It is not without irony that Eden Park’s key tenants have long been Auckland Rugby and Auckland Cricket, who have rights under the Trust deed, and who would stand to benefit should the trust ever be wound up.
Auckland Council have a very difficult decision to make. It is not about being bogged down in history (and for the record that is exactly what the land of Eden Park once was) but more about understanding the needs of sport and events in the city. Eden Park has become the stadium venue of choice for the biggest musical acts to visit New Zealand and that has in turn helped it generate worthy profits over the last financial year.
Sports attendances are not what they once were and any stadium decision — whether staying loyal to Eden Park or embarking on a new project, has to be made with the knowledge that 973 people through the turnstile is not going to make for a very profitable day.
Eden Park has been the scene of many of my most treasured sporting experiences, and I would be lying if I denied a certain soft spot for its charms. It deserves at least to be heard in this process regardless of what other option sits on the table.
Its chief competitor is certainly a project of ambitious design and scale, and there are arguments that its location is much better suited to the kinds of events the city wants.
Proponents of change will argue that Eden Park has been given a free ride and a fair few dollars for far too long, but that’s only half the argument. If that charming old ruin, to borrow from the Wes Andersen Oeuvre, had been given every chance to host the events people really want, we might not be in this position to start with.
