Baby step towards a revamped national stadium

Auckland Council support Eden Park 2.1

Eden Park took its first step towards a major upgrade with Auckland Council reaching a landmark decision, years in the making. The Council finally gave its backing to a staged redevelopment of New Zealand’s biggest stadium, rather than the alternative option, the Te Tōangaroa waterfront stadium. Eden Park’s proven delivery since the $265M upgrade for the 2011 Rugby World Cup 2011 and the 2026 connection to the CBD via the new City Rail Link swung the vote. Eden Park’s Charitable Trust Chair Kereyn Smith sees Council’s support as important for Auckland and the future of the country’s national stadium, “This decision gives us the certainty to plan, the flexibility to deliver, and the ability to respond to the needs of Aucklanders and New Zealanders alike.”

Eden Park 2.1 – the staged approach

Consistently referred to as “Eden Park 2.1 – The Staged Approach” in the launch media kit, the redevelopment is broken down into three phases. Depending on your take on the current state of the global economy and its likely impact on entertainment spend, this can be viewed as realistic and achievable, or disappointingly piecemeal.

Stage 1 sees the reconfiguration of the lower North Stand, including retractable seating and integrated egress stairs increasing the stadium’s capacity to 70,000 for concerts. This is accompanied by new food and beverage offerings and fan zones via a tiered ‘Eat Street’ concourse.

Stage 2 will witness the full redevelopment of the North Stand to mirror the south stand in height and proportions, aiming to “unify the stadium and create an iconic stadium profile”. This will attract larger audiences, and the intention is bigger acts. The focus on complementary revenue generation continues with a new wide precinct.

Stage 3 includes provision for a retractable roof to achieve “further international competitiveness”.

The application of world leading technology is mentioned but without detail.

In Kereyn Smith’s words, “Eden Park 2.1 is a smart, staged investment that delivers high-impact returns for both Auckland and the nation. It’s practical, future-focused, and leverages existing infrastructure to achieve lasting outcomes.”

Eden Park 2.1 – funding

A few days after the redevelopment got the greenlight, the Economic Development Agency and Regional Tourism Organisation RotoruaNZ sent out a tongue-in-cheek Aprils Fools Day media release announcing a 75,000-seat, timber-built outdoor stadium to be built on the shore of Lake Rotorua. Costing an expected $4 billion, the organisation suggested the project would not require rate-payer funding, instead “utilising a fund-raising strategy” centred around “sausage sizzles, etc.”

Amusing certainly, but also reflective of the situation Eden Park finds itself in with Auckland Council making it clear that it will not be turning to ratepayers for the $110 million needed for Stage 1 alone. In lieu of local support, the Trust has approached central government, submitting an Infrastructure Priorities Programme (IPP) application for Stage 1, and turning to private investment through to Stage 3, with the retractable roof projected to cost $282 million. The Trust is confident that they can demonstrate good returns for government and private companies.

Unfortunately, the optimism is not shared by government. In a statement on funding the stadium, Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown said, “Given the constrained fiscal environment New Zealand is facing and large demands for capital expenditure in health, education and transport, there would be a high bar for government funding.” And that was prior to Liberation Day.

Eden Park 2.1 – timeframe

The Trust’s programme estimate is three years for Stage 1 without compromising the current event calendar or future events and subject to government support. Completion dates for Stages 2 and 3 are dependent on the influx, or not, of private investment, with estimates ranging from between five to fifteen years.

The Trust is not shy in emphasising that should the redevelopment plan not come to fruition, New Zealand risks falling behind internationally in attracting major events, and that the redevelopment has to happen soon.

Eden 2.1 – what next?

We’ll know more in May and September when the results from the first and second rounds of the IPP process are released. Administered by Te Waihanga, an autonomous Crown entity and based on UK and Australian models, the IPP is essentially a shortlisting process to create a thirty-year infrastructure plan encompassing projects that “align with strategic objectives, deliver value for money, and are feasible”. Bearing in mind that Auckland Council alone is submitting proposals ranging from implementing congestion charging to renewing the ageing ferry fleet, competition is going to be fierce.