KEY POINTS:
Rugby World Cup organisers have all but secured the $240 million needed to rebuild Eden Park - but are quibbling over $2500 with neighbours left in the dark.
The Herald on Sunday can reveal the Government has committed $190m to the project, rather than underwriting Eden Park if
other funding falls through, leaving local politicians, trusts and rugby chiefs to raise the remainder.
Rugby World Cup Minister Clayton Cosgrove would not confirm that $190m of taxpayer cash would be invested, but four other sources, including Auckland Mayor John Banks, said the Government had "stumped up the cash".
A further $50m is needed and a survey of potential donors shows:
The Eden Park Trust Board has committed at least $12m and up to $20m.
The Auckland Regional Council votes this week on donating $10m.
The New Zealand Rugby Union has already committed $10m.
The ASB Community Trust will consider an application for a multi-million-dollar sum.
Commercial sponsorship of Eden Park is a possibility.
Banks said Auckland City Council planned to invest $22m into infrastructure and $10m into "contingency" projects around Eden Park, but he would not renege on his election promise to pull funding from the stadium. "The Government's stumped up their cash, to be fair they've been generous to their word," he said. "There is a very small shortfall but it's not a hurdle to success."
A planned public meeting on Tuesday night has been postponed because of resource consent issues.
Noise and shade from a new stand to replace the terraces appear to be the final planning hurdle before work can begin on the project.
Resource consent had been granted to an earlier $325m design, which will no longer be used, but the Eden Park Redevelopment Board is confident the new $240m plan falls within those guidelines.
Chief executive Adam Feeley said consent variations would not delay demolition and construction - due to begin after the Bledisloe Cup match in August - and the council had accepted the board's shading and noise mitigation plans for residents.
But Eden Park neighbours worst affected by the shading of the redevelopment said the original offer of $5000 compensation to buy a heat pump was "ridiculous".
Residents, who asked not to be named, refused the offer and asked for $15,000, a sum they believed to be fair based on the board's figures.
A counter-offer of $12,500 was put on the table but the neighbours turned it down last week.
"The public probably think we're talking $50,000 or $100,000 for mitigation. We're not," said one. "We're only talking about a few houses. We're almost there, let's wrap it up."
Feeley said the council had approved the mitigation plan and neighbours were free to accept or reject the offer. But the board was not obliged to do any more and had carried out extensive consultation.
"It is fair to say that in this regard the redevelopment board has been a model neighbour in keeping neighbours informed and offering mitigation that is arguably beyond what would happen in many similar situations," he said.
Mark Donnelly, Eden Park Neighbours' Association president, said a $5000 heat pump would last only 10 years and residents were in limbo over the resource consent issues.
The Auckland Regional Council last year kicked a proposal to give $21m to Eden Park into touch, preferring to spend money on improving public transport to the stadium.
Chairman Mike Lee said the ARC would vote on whether to give a one-off $10m grant to Eden Park at this week's meeting. He said no money would come from rates.
