Fans go crazy as the Black Caps defeat South Africa in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at Eden Park, Auckland. Photo / Nick Reed
Fans go crazy as the Black Caps defeat South Africa in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at Eden Park, Auckland. Photo / Nick Reed
Ninety six per cent of submissions are in favour of Eden Park hosting a Sunday night T20 cricket match between New Zealand and India next January.
Sunday night matches are banned at Eden Park but stadium management applied for approval for a "one-off" game between the teams that clashed thismonth in the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Auckland Council received 937 submissions of which 30 were recorded as opposed and three neutral.
A check for duplicates had yet to be done on the submissions which closed Tuesday, a spokesperson said. Data about where those making submissions live was also unavailable.
The older local group, the Eden Park Neighbours Association, also supports the match, with condtions. "We're generally ok with the Sunday game but need to engage in the process to see some errors fixed and some conditions put in place," Chairman Mark Donnelly said.
"In our submission we said we're happy to sit down with Auckland Council and Eden Park to develop those."
Eden Park is committed to delivering more big events which stadium chief executive Nick Sautner said act as a social glue as well as being good business.
"[They] provide a unique environment for fans to socialise with people of all ages and ethnicities. Sport, cultural, arts and music events attract new audiences who may never have attended a rugby or cricket match, all whilst delivering significant economic benefits to the community and city."
Eden Park is allowed to host 25 events each year each but they have time and other restrictions and no fixtures are permitted on Sunday nights.
Matt Henry celebrates a wicket during the Black Caps win over India in the Cricket World Cup semi final at Old Trafford. Photo / www.photosport.nz
The stadium is seeking permission to hold the cricket match between 8pm and 11pm on 26 January, 2020, which is Auckland Anniversary weekend and India's Republic Day.
Eden Park said an 11pm finish was vital for matches involving India's national team as it better served viewing times in India and was essential to television rights deals.
The Black Caps beat India in a close semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup this month before losing the final to England on a count of boundaries after a "super over" failed to split the teams.
Time and noise restrictions on events have long been in place for the Mt Eden stadium which began life as a cricket ground in 1903 and is closely surrounded by villas.
Current controls were set in 2016 as part of the Auckland Unitary Plan process where a panel sought to balance commercial interests with those of residents.
Noise, traffic and crowd behaviour are concerns.
The residents association provided background material which showed it had cooperated with stadium management in the past, including with preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
A concert by Phil Collins, photographed performing at Mission Estate in Hawke's Bay, did not get consent for Eden Park. Photo / Paul Taylor
Opposition among residents seems to be stronger regarding concerts.
Though a maximum of six concerts per year are listed, they each have to gain resource consent which are covered by strict conditions.
Recently, proposed concerts by Bon Jovi, Phil Collins, Eminem and Billy Joel did not get consent and the pin was pulled before a consent decision was made on a "Live-Aid style" charity concert jointly planned by philanthropist Sir Ray Avery and stadium administrators.
Sautner, has said rules governing events were too strict, while the residents group has said the close proximity of houses to Eden Park made Mt Smart stadium a better concert venue.
There are less than 100 dwellings within a kilometre of Mt Smart compared to 4000 for Eden Park.
The proposed game
NZ v India January 26, 2020 The finish: 11pm Those in favour: 96 per cent
