Rugby should pay for park, says poll

Aucklanders have overwhelmingly told the Rugby Union to pay for the 2011 Rugby World Cup itself.

In the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey, 46.7 per cent of Auckland respondents said the biggest contribution towards Eden Park's $320 million upgrade for the cup should come from union coffers.

The union and the Government gave a commitment to the International Rugby Board that Eden Park would be expanded from 47,500 to 60,000 seats for the event through a combination of temporary and permanent upgrades costing up to $160 million.

Since then, the Eden Park Trust Board has developed a much grander "legacy" option, blowing out the cost to $320 million and implied that local and regional ratepayers would have to pay much of the bill.

But the majority of respondents believed private sources such as the union and corporate sponsors should pay the lion's share. Only 11.3 per cent of Aucklanders believed taxpayers should make the biggest contribution and 8.2 per cent believed it should come from ratepayers across the Auckland region. A mere 6 per cent thought Auckland City ratepayers should pay most of the cost.

Last night, rugby union chairman Jock Hobbs dashed hopes for a big top-up to the union's $10 million commitment towards the upgrade, saying it was the largest commitment from the union to a stadium development and possibly the largest from any sporting organisation towards a sporting facility in New Zealand.

Mr Hobbs said the union and the Government were committed to paying a tournament fee to the IRB of about $150 million with ticket sales being the only source of revenue. On current projections, the union was forecasting a loss from hosting the 2011 tournament, he said.

Mr Hobbs said the Australian Government and the host cities for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne had shared the infrastructure costs and enjoyed enormous benefits through increased economic, trade and investment activity, tourism and international profile.

Rugby World Cup Minister Trevor Mallard reiterated that the Government would not increase its $20 million commitment towards Eden Park without "careful consideration based on the benefits to be gained from the Cup and the potential benefits of hosting other major events".

Auckland City has indicated a contribution of $60 million or more but the issue has divided councillors at a time of soaring household rates.

Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard said he was getting the message "loud and clear" that significant numbers of ratepayers opposed paying for Eden Park and their views would be taken on board before the council committed any money.

The survey questioned 212 people and had a margin of error of plus or minus 6.7 per cent.