Eden Park will still be favoured in many circles. Photo / Photosport
At around 7pm on Thursday night, the next step in Auckland’s long-running stadium saga was taken.
Though it might not seem that significant – given it is only an incremental move – it was, as a downtown stadium option remained on the table and a distinct possibility.
Auckland council voted by a margin of 20-1 to proceed with the council working group recommendation, which will see a revamped Eden Park 2.1 and the Quay Park bid given six months to complete feasibility studies and build a detailed business case to become Auckland’s main stadium.
The news didn’t come as a surprise, as it was signposted by the Herald last month, but it still felt like a milestone moment. The simpler option – and one that may have been pursued by councils of years past – would have been to endorse Eden Park, given it is already there, rather than deal with the uncertainty of a new stadium.
But the council, going on their public statements, want to make sure they find the best possible option, rather than just defaulting to the incumbent. Eden Park will still be favoured in many circles – given their traditional support – but they will have to prove they can source the funding required for their 2.1 project, as the council have made it clear that the status quo is not an option for the long-term future.
There are big challenges ahead for the Quay Park consortium too, though their precinct model and downtown location could be attractive to potential private investors.
Waitakere councillor Shane Henderson, who chaired the working group and has been the council lead on this project since last September, was satisfied with the outcome.
”To get something across the line, nearly unanimously, for a way forward, is great,” Henderson told the Herald. “It’s a staircase but this is another huge step.”
Henderson said the stadium discussion on Thursday lasted almost two hours, with some “strong debate”. Some councillors favoured a nine-month period for the respective feasibility studies but six was eventually agreed. Both bids will report back before the end of the year, though a vote on the final outcome probably won’t take place until February or March 2025.
Henderson said the council had opted for this step because “Quay Park is a centrally based stadium and there are a lot of people out there in the community that want us to look closer at that as an option”.
He added that Eden Park and Quay Park had come on top via the range of criteria assigned by the working group and independent assessor, while there were also issues with the other potential sites at Wynyard Point and Bledisloe Wharf.
“Both of those pieces of land already have uses designated to them,” said Henderson. “With Bledisloe Wharf council recently passed a motion to increase the port’s profitability, very profitable for Auckland. With Wynyard Point, there is a long standing promise to the community in terms of using it as a park.
”It was a really robust process, land use is a big one but we went through and kicked the tyres with everything. It was thorough.”
Eden Park chief executive Nick Saunter welcomed the decision.
”Our focus is continuing to deliver world-class events now and into the future while also creating a truly multi-purpose hybrid stadium, which we’re calling Eden Park 2.1: Our Future Covered, that builds on what we already have – a highly utilised globally iconic stadium with a rich 120-year history,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing an updated vision with our community and the public over the coming months.
Quay Park spokesman and consortium lead Jim Doyle was equally effusive.
”It’s really positive to see this outcome, there has been a lot of work go into this over many years, from a lot of people, particularly [fellow consortium lead] Paul Nisbet,” said Doyle. “We are looking forward to the next step, now we have the green light to continue and we have investors keen to be part of it.”
The Wynyard Point proposal had garnered significant traction in some areas, with its ‘mini-Melbourne’ proposal for multiple arenas in the area.
Project lead Richard Dellabarca admitted it was a sad day.
”You have to respect the process and decision but It’s a huge missed opportunity for Auckland as a city, as it was a chance to create something truly iconic,” said Dellabarca.
He cited the current Blackwattle Bay redevelopment in Sydney, a major urban renewal project on the foreshore, as an example of what can be done.
”That is a stunning waterfront development,” said Dellabarca. “It’s A$800 million, all privately funded and will have a massive impact on the city. It’s entirely feasible to do something like that, but what are we doing?”
Dellabarca and his team have spent more than two years working on the bid but he was philosophical.
”So many people have put in so many hours, it’s hard to quantify,” said Dellabarca. “But we were doing it because we were genuinely passionate about creating something that would change the city in a profound way.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.