KEY POINTS:
The NZOC has tabled a report to Government endorsing a bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to New Zealand for the fourth time in 2018.
The Minister for Sport and recreation, Clayton Cosgrove, will consider the report and whether Christchurch or Auckland is best equipped to host the Games. If he decides either is capable of emulating Auckland (1950 and 1990) or Christchurch (1974) as hosts, then the New Zealand Olympic Committee would be given the green light to purchase a bid document.
This document costs £60,000 ($150,000) and details the requirements for a host city.
A recent report compiled by Visitor Solutions seemed to indicate Auckland would need significant and costly upgrades on all existing facilities to be able to stage the event but the Herald on Sunday understands NZOC secretary-general Barry Maister believes there is enough flexibility in the report to make the country's largest city a viable option.
Commonwealth Games 2018 - Landscape Document indicated neither a re-fitted Eden Park or Mt Smart Stadium could host the track and field without significant alterations, while the West Wave Aquatic Centre would need to greatly boost its capacity to host aquatics.
But the report was based on facilities offered at Melbourne in 2006. Maister said New Zealand couldn't and wouldn't try to match Melbourne and would instead offer a "uniquely New Zealand experience".
Presently, only Trusts Stadium and Vector Arena look capable of hosting any of the compulsory sports.
Maister said the biggest issue would not necessarily be the sporting facilities but the village.
However, the way Auckland goes about upgrading its facilities will be critical. Just last week Arpass - a body set up to co-ordinate sports services in the Auckland region - criticised the ad-hoc approach to facilities upgrades within the region, saying $180 million would be spent on sporting facility upgrades (excluding Eden Park's $300m refit), with no clear reference to a bigger picture.
The greater Auckland Regional facilities project will look at what developments are appropriate, what facilities are missing to host major events and what models should be considered to prevent duplication.
Christchurch is miles ahead in this regard having created Vbase, which co-ordinates the running and development of the city's major facilities.
