Stadium New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Stadium New Zealand, often called the Waterfront Stadium, was the provisional name for a national stadium proposed for Auckland's

Auckland City

Auckland City was the city and local authority covering the Auckland isthmus and most of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, in the North Island of New Zealand. On 1 November 2010 it was amalgamated into the wider Auckland Region under the authority of the new Auckland Council...

waterfront to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup

2011 Rugby World Cup

The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...

. The stadium never advanced beyond a concept design.

The possible choice of the location for the stadium was widely contested in politics and public opinion. The potential effects on the amenity of the waterfront and port operations, the high costs of construction as well as criticism of political interference in the decision-making process led to conflicting decisions by local bodies and abandonment of the proposal in late November 2006.

Stadium site

The New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

Government commissioned research on an alternative stadium to Eden Park

Eden Park

Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...

for hosting the 2011 Rugby World Cup

2011 Rugby World Cup

. The proposal was to build a new stadium seating 60,000 on the Auckland waterfront

Auckland waterfront

The Auckland waterfront is a city-side stretch of the southern Waitemata Harbour coastline in Auckland City, New Zealand...

, instead of at the previously mooted site, Eden Park

Eden Park

, which is about 3.5 kilometres away from Auckland CBD. The preferred waterfront site was over Marsden wharf. However, Ports of Auckland

Ports of Auckland

Ports of Auckland Limited , the successor to the Auckland Harbour Board, is the company administering Auckland's commercial freight and cruise ship harbour facilities...

, who use the land as a shipping container terminal, expressed concern that construction would not be finished in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup

2011 Rugby World Cup

, and that the new site would remove land important for the continuing function of the country's largest commercial port.

Alternative sites

Alternative sites such as Carlaw Park

Carlaw Park

Carlaw Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Parnell, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand.-History:The stadium's grandstands and terraces were built in 1916, and it became the home of rugby league in Auckland from 1921...

, North Harbour Stadium

North Harbour Stadium

North Harbour Stadium is a stadium, situated in Albany, in North Shore City, in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, football and rugby League are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is rectangular in shape....

and Mt Smart Stadium

Mt Smart Stadium

Mt Smart Stadium, formerly Ericsson Stadium, is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the home ground of National Rugby League team, the New Zealand Warriors...

fell out of favour with the Government, leading to questions concerning the political motivations for such strong support for the waterfront stadium.

The Government claimed Carlaw Park was not be a suitable location as several hundred trees would need to be felled, there would be a requirement for three hectares of land from the Auckland Domain

Auckland Domain

The Auckland Domain is Auckland's oldest park, and at 75 hectares one of the largest in the city. Located in the central suburb of Grafton, the park contains all of the explosion crater and most of the surrounding tuff ring of the Pukekawa volcano....

and because parts of the proposed site are privately owned with existing plans. The Government also claimed there was inadequate space to accommodate people leaving the stadium. North Harbour Stadium was also initially dismissed for transport reasons.

A further alternative proposal, for a stadium over the eastern part of the Mangere Inlet

Mangere Inlet

Mangere Inlet is an arm of the Manukau Harbour, the southwestern of the two harbours of Auckland, New Zealand and itself an arm of the Tasman Sea. The inlet lies between the two cities of Auckland City and Manukau City and has a size of 6.6 km2 and a catchment of 34.5 km2, being considered to...

, failed to gain much publicity.

Estimated cost

The stadium was estimated to cost NZ$497 million by the Government, although it was stated that this figure could have risen, with stadium projects historically having substantial overruns (later quoted in the New Zealand Herald as up to 30% or more). The cost was a source of controversy, with various figures having been quoted by different sources. The Government and construction industries sources noted that all costings of large projects are unreliable, and that redevelopment of Eden Park

Eden Park

also faces uncertainties. The Government proposed that to assist funding, levies on hotels, motels and backpacker lodges might be introduced, along with promotions run by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission.

Differing votes

On 10 November 2006, the New Zealand Government announced its preference for a waterfront stadium to be built over Marsden and Captain Cook wharves. The Government asked the Auckland City Council

Auckland City Council

Auckland City Council was the local government authority representing Auckland City, New Zealand, and was amalgamated into the Auckland Council on 1 November 2010. It was an elected body representing the 404,658 residents of the city...

and the Auckland Regional Council

Auckland Regional Council

The Auckland Regional Council was the regional council of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989...

to determine which proposal they each preferred, with only the waterfront stadium or a redeveloped Eden Park as options. A two-week consultation of Auckland residents was arranged, and a deadline of 24 November 2006 was set for the Auckland City Council and the Auckland Regional Council to give their respective preference. The deadline was widely criticised as undemocratic blackmail, though some commentators defended it as being necessary to move along the process.

On 22 November 2006, an injunction was proposed to the High Court

High Court of New Zealand

The High Court of New Zealand is a superior court of New Zealand. It was established in 1841 and known as the Supreme Court of New Zealand until 1980....

in Auckland by five residents of Auckland City

Auckland City

against the Waterfront Stadium, stating that enough time was not given for the decision to be made between the Eden Park Stadium and the new Waterfront Stadium. The injunction was rejected an hour before the Auckland City Council met to decide its preference for a venue. The High Court ruled that there would be adequate future opportunities to fight any venue decision.

In a 5 hour meeting on the night of November 23, the Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council was the local government authority representing Auckland City, New Zealand, and was amalgamated into the Auckland Council on 1 November 2010. It was an elected body representing the 404,658 residents of the city...

gave support to the waterfront proposal by a 13-7 vote. However they qualified their assent by wanting the stadium to be "substantially east" of the Marsden Wharf/Captain Cook location preferred by the government, cutting more deeply into port lands, but also keeping views from Britomart unobstructed.

On November 24, the Auckland Regional Council
Auckland Regional Council
The Auckland Regional Council was the regional council of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989...

unanimously voted against supporting the construction of the stadium at the waterfront (mainly due to its effects on port operations), opting instead to lend their support to an upgrade of Auckland's current rugby venue, Eden Park
Eden Park
Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...

.

Outcome

On November 27, the New Zealand Government, taking into consideration the votes of the Auckland City Council

Auckland City Council

and the Auckland Regional Council

Auckland Regional Council

The Auckland Regional Council was the regional council of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989...

and numerous public submissions, decided to drop the Stadium New Zealand proposal in favour of the redevelopment of Eden Park

Eden Park

.
Cabinet asked that more work be done on the design, funding and governance of Eden Park and that North Harbour Stadium be considered as a reserve option.

Stadium site

Alternative sites

Estimated cost

Differing votes

Outcome

See also