Sid Going fears for future after stadium shelving

Sid Going

WHANGAREI - All Black legend Sid Going used to play before up to 30,000 screaming fans at Okara Park during Northland rugby's golden era in the 1970s.

Now he fears similar opportunities may be lost for his children and grandchildren.

The former All Black is disappointed with a Northland Regional Council decision to shelve plans to get ratepayers to pay for a $30 million multisports stadium in Whangarei.

The future of the stadium is now unclear after the council dropped the project from its 2005-2006 Draft Annual Plan, calling for more analysis over the next 12 months.

The council wants to look at where it should be located, who should pay and how it could be managed.

The decision followed 5000 public submissions to the council, of which most were in favour of ratepayers paying for the stadium. However, there was also strong opposition from groups such as Greypower which were against the user-payers cost to its members.

"I would hate to see them take it off the agenda completely," Mr Going said.

"I was so pleased people 40 years ago decided to leave Rugby Park for Okara Park. It was forward-looking.

"This (multisport) concept was going to provide for the next 40-years.

Fears about the cost of the proposal for ratepayers were unfounded, he said. "What does it amount to? One dollar a week?

You put 20 cents on the ground in front of most people today and they won't even stop to pick it up."

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)