David Legatt: Another opportunity goes begging

Opinion

A colleague opined this week that there's more chance of New Zealand hosting an Olympic Games than Auckland getting a national waterfront stadium.

That's to say, less than none.

"It's just a put-up job," he said.

Come again?

His view is Government are simply going through the motions to satisfy those unhappy at having to settle for an Eden Park with pieces added on rather than a state-of-the-art facility.

Then they can say, "we've explored all options" before pushing on with the Eden Park facelift.

He's probably right but let's be clear. New Zealand should have - for lack of a better term - a national stadium. It has to be in Auckland, purely on a population basis.

It should be more than a glammed-up rugby ground, though. Hotel and conference facilities, squash courts, basketball courts, swimming complex. Make it pay its way. Think big (heard that somewhere before).

Say, about 60,000 capacity and there's any number of global examples of how it could be used as much more than merely a sporting complex.

Does it need to be on the waterfront? No. But there are some givens, such as proximity to efficient transport operations. This all reeks of trying to grab the coat-tails of an opportunity which fled over the horizon 20 years ago.

If it wasn't for the fact there is going to be a serious emptying of our wallets over all this, it would almost be laughable, all this bickering and wringing of hands.

How they must be chuckling over the Ditch, if they're interested. In Australia, there's a tendency to roll up the sleeves and just get on with it.

Wellington went through a pile of anguish over doing away with Athletic Park in the 1990s. The windswept old ground had its memories but most involved appalling weather. The decision was taken and the capital hasn't looked back. Good on it.

In similar vein, Eden Park is redolent of major sporting moments - the first test cricket win after 27 years of trying and the series-clinching victory over the Springboks, both in 1956; cricket's World Cup in 1992, not to mention "all out 26" in 1955. Here, Auckland can learn from Wellington.

It's puzzling how much ink is given to the views of Mt Eden residents at times like this. I don't live in Mt Eden. When those who do moved there, presumably they were aware there was a big ground round the corner which often had noisy night-time activities.

If they had foresight, they might have wondered, say 20 years ago, what might happen at Eden Park in years to come. Might it be redeveloped? Might it grow? What would we think about that? Maybe Epsom sounds better.

Two words come to mind when thinking what Auckland should do.

Suncorp Stadium.

For decades, Lang Park was home to Queensland rugby league. But in time, the old ground inevitably showed signs of wear and tear. So up went the best stadium in Australia in its place. Suncorp Stadium opened in 2003, capacity 52,000.

Superbly designed. Easy access, terrific viewing, an unbeatable atmosphere.

Here's a thought: get those planners and architects to Auckland. Pronto. Lock them in a hotel room for a fortnight, spare no luxury, and ask them to emerge with Suncorp Stadium tailored to an Auckland location with a few extra thousand seats thrown in. Simple really.

Oh yes, location. What location?

Options? In a wide frame, Mt Smart Stadium, North Harbour Stadium (both oodles of room), Victoria Park (superb site), the Tank Farm (unlikely).

Don't fancy them? Well, the Government will be doing a disservice if it does not seriously take a few weeks and make a proper investigation of the alternatives. And then they'll head back to Eden Park.

And in years to come, not for the first time, people may be left pondering Auckland's ability to master the Art of the Lost Opportunity.