Waitakere folk baulk at funding World Cup

Waitakere residents are resisting paying extra rates towards 2011 Rugby World Cup costs despite promises it will benefit the "next Michael Jones" and bring international sportsmen and tourists to the West.

Eden Park Redevelopment Board says that contributing to the park's hosting of the cup will continue a proud Waitakere tradition of being represented by players such as Jones, who played 55 games for the All Blacks.

It is asking Waitakere City Council to contribute $2 million to the $240 million redevelopment and an associated "Cities Gateway" legacy.

But the idea has drawn a string of objections from ratepayers at draft city plan meetings.

"In the reality world of user-pays, let the business of professional rugby fund their own facilities instead of expecting subsidies from ratepayers," said Mike Hickey, of Henderson.

Noel Rugg, of the Herald Island Ratepayers' Association, said, "Other sports do not receive subsidies ... Commercial benefits should be funded by non-ratepayer sources."

On the other hand, Waitakere City Trusts Stadium chief executive Simon Wickham said council money could allow it to be a venue for teams' training and large public gatherings to watch live broadcasts of games.

The Oratia Ratepayers Association said it supported paying for the event as it was a "once-only occasion".

The idea of gateways at Eden Park as a fundraiser came from Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey last year, when the board asked the council for money. He suggested councils could get a return on their contribution through building gates representative of each city.

The board returned with a concept to have large Maori tekoteko carvings at four entry plazas of Eden Park.

The western gateway would be named the "Waitakere Gate". Auckland's three other city councils would be asked to sponsor a gateway.

A Waitakere council spokesman said the council had not debated a contribution to a gateway.

But the council had set aside $285,000 for the event in the 2009-10 financial year.

This amounted to $4.50 extra on the rates for each property and would be used to prepare the city for extra visitors.

The council was also seeking community views on whether to go further with host preparations and introduce a targeted rate for each property to bring in a total of $2.7 million.

This breaks down to a rate of $13 a property in 2010-11 and $27 in 2011-12.

Waitakere rates are proposed to rise by an average of $61 a household in the coming year.