KEY POINTS:
Talk about lighting the fuse, then standing well back from the resulting fireworks. Last week, on the eve of a preferred contractor being appointed for the redevelopment of Eden Park, Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee revived his old call for Mt Smart Stadium to be reconsidered as the "legacy" sporting venue for the region. Then he hopped on a plane for Beijing.
With the price of the Eden Park upgrade rapidly climbing from $190 million to $270 million, Mr Lee told Triangle TV current affairs programme Darpan - The Mirror that the ARC would be recommending Mt Smart to the Government as a better legacy investment for the Auckland region than Eden Park.
Speaking from China yesterday, Mr Lee told me that no sooner had the Government underwritten the Eden Park project for $190 million than the price escalated.
"I feel very strongly there has to be some cost controls, some discipline, brought into the process, which is why I'm asking for some work to be done on what $190 million would do for Mt Smart, not only for the Rugby World Cup but also in terms of a permanent legacy for a complex where we could hold the Commonwealth Games or similar events. It's never too late. I'm just alarmed at the cost escalation for this Eden Park project."
He is "really concerned" that the public sector will end up "over a barrel" by "Eden Park contractors in a monopoly situation". That, he says, is one reason he has steadfastly refused to commit any ARC funds.
"My suspicion is that whatever money the ARC makes available will be on top of the price. The public needs a better deal than that, both in terms of use of public money and also in terms of the best possible legacy for Auckland."
He was asking for "some contestability, some rigour and some cost discipline".
I congratulate Darpan on its scoop, but it's a pity Mr Lee chose to drop this bombshell so surreptitiously. With new Auckland Mayor John Banks loudly signalling his opposition to his ratepayers topping up the Eden Park redevelopment board's steadily expanding wishlist, a combined salvo from the region's two top local politicians might have finally got the attention of the new Minister of Sport, Clayton Cosgrove.
As long as his predecessor, Trevor Mallard, was in charge, the chance of any reconsideration of venue was minimal. The former sports minister had been burned big-time, having charged into town offering a $1 billion, Government-funded national stadium as long as we handed over a chunk of prime waterfront land to house it. When Auckland turned down the offer, he reluctantly backed the Eden Park option.
His lack of enthusiasm for Eden Park was shared by many. Situated in the middle of increasingly valuable residential real estate, the venue has major problems with neighbourhood issues. The difficulty under Mr Mallard's regime was that Aucklanders were never allowed the time to canvass rational alternatives.
I've always supported the Mt Smart option. As far as location goes, it's in a central position on the isthmus, adjacent to the Southern Motorway and alongside thesoon-to-be-upgraded Onehungarailway line. Couldn't be better.
As far as neighbours go, there are no problems. Mt Smart is an island surrounded by commercial and industrial activity. It is publicly owned, with plenty of parking and secondary grounds for warming up and other activities.
At the height of the waterfront stadium fiasco this time last year, Mr Mallard submitted a Cabinet paper saying the rationalisation of Auckland's major stadiums and recreational facilities would be desirable in the long term. He also proposed a single regional body to run them. He was no doubt right. But before that, there's a need for a stadiums policy, one that pinpoints where best the premier big-event, world-class stadium for the 21st century should be sited. Thanks to Mr Mallard, we never had the chance to have that debate.
Mr Lee seems to be saying there is time for it now, and that he has already picked the winner. With both him and Mr Banks - curious bedfellows - refusing to open the public purse for Eden Park dreams, maybe, for once, it's not the public that's over the barrel, but the reverse.
