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Govt Investment Sought For Eden Park Upgrade Plan - CEO
Victor
Waters, Journalist
Checkpoint
Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner says he has approached the government to try to secure funds for the stadium's upgrade.
For Eden Park 2.1 to get off the ground, stage one of the redevelopment plan hinges on $110 million of public funding.
"We've written to the Minister of Sport to seek a conversation around stage one and funding opportunities," Sautner said.
While he had not yet received a response from Minister for Sport and Recreation Mark Mitchell, Sautner had spoken to the National Party caucus and presented the upgrade plan.
"Stage 1 is predicated on central government investment, and that's the foundations for the future redevelopment of the North Stand and then the retractable roof," Sautner said.
"So, our focus is working with council and government to structure an arrangement whereby we can bring this to life and secure the quarterfinal and semifinal of the Cricket World Cup."
Last week, Eden Park was endorsed by Auckland Council ahead of the proposed billion-dollar Te Tōangaroa waterfront stadium.
The Eden Park redevelopment plan would see the stadium's capacity increase to 50,000 for sports matches and 70,000 for concerts.
Retractable seating would be added and facilitate a fully circular boundary for cricket, while a retractable roof is also in the plan.
But Auckland Council ruled out putting forward any ratepayer money, while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon distanced himself from the project.
Last week, Luxon said that a $110 million ask for the stadium represented "a pretty high bar for government funding" and said schools, hospitals and roading were a greater priority.
Should Eden Park secure funding for Stage 1, the stadium would seek private investment for Stage 2 and 3.
Sautner said Eden Park 2.1 was estimated to inject $320 million into Auckland's gross domestic product by 2035.
"We've seen with our Infrastructure Priorities Programme application that the business case for Stage 1 - and then through to Stage 3 with the private investment - demonstrates a return for government, and for those private companies who we've talked to about investing in the future redevelopment.
"We're open to exploring all channels to bring this to life. We know with the City Rail Link opening, there's been significant investment in that infrastructure.
"We need to harness existing infrastructure and see greater utilisation. That has been our focus over the last five years and we'll continue to do so over the next five years.
"When you look at the content in terms of music content that has gone through Eden Park, it has been a paradigm shift for us: 70 percent of today's revenue wasn't part of the business model five years ago."
Should the redevelopment plan not come to fruition, Sautner said New Zealand risks falling behind internationally in attracting major events.
"There's a definite risk, and that's not only Auckland, that's New Zealand.
"We know when Taylor Swift goes to Melbourne she plays one venue and the market size is seven million. In future, when major artists come to New Zealand, they will play Eden Park with a capacity of 70,000.
"We saw that in recent times with the likes of Coldplay or Luke Combs. We need to have a national stadium that's fit for purpose for sport but also entertainment.
He said redevelopment has to happen soon.
"We want a city and a country where people want to live, stay, play and work. Having concerts, having sport, having escapism that it provides, but also employment is something that's critical to the DNA of our city."
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