City of Sails - not Stadium City

The new waterfront stadium announced by the Government today will be a blot on the seascape, Green Party Sports Spokesperson Keith Locke says.

"I see several problems in the waterfront stadium.

"We don't need a giant stadium at the bottom of Queen St, out of all proportion to the surrounding recreational space.

"We are a city of sails, not stadium city.

"The Greens are certainly not keen on the government's proposal to override the Resource Management Act to complete the waterfront stadium on time. We know from the emails pouring in that there will be plenty of objections at the consent stage. They should be given a chance to be heard.

"The enjoyment of our waterfront by future generations should not be held hostage to government whim, or the Rugby World Cup timetable.

"We note that the waterfront option is considerably more expensive than Eden Park, even before the expected cost blow-outs on such a novel project.

"If the government has a lot of extra cash to pay for an Auckland project its first priority should be to electrify the suburban rail network, and put on more trains, not blow the money on a 'think big' stadium which destroys our waterfront.

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