Mt Eden Park Council decision was always going to be the cheapest and worst outcome
Auckland stadium battle live updates: Eden Park wins after Auckland Council vote
Auckland Council has this afternoon endorsed a staged redevelopment of Eden Park — deciding against a downtown stadium.
However, the council stopped short of backing a full upgrade to the current Mt Eden stadium.
The decision — passed by 17 votes to 2 this afternoon — gave the council a mandate to begin discussions with central Government on the future of a “main stadium” for New Zealand.
Eden Park wins.
No surprises.
The option was ways going to be the cheapest and worst option because that’s all Auckland Council and New Zealand as a whole ever attempt and alway achieve.
We always select the cheapest option in this country and it’s always the worst option because it doesn’t really make any tangible changes or generates any unique vision.
Ede Park was always going to get the nod because something new and big is impossible to even attempt, and the option that was selected (and was always going to be selected) is the cheapest one that doesn’t do anything meaningful, which was always going to be the outcome.
In this country we are timid and tight. Big ideas scare us and meaningful investment into our stadium infrastructure was never going to happen.
Ever.
This is NZ, we are always a day too late and a dollar too short.
This will do nothing imaginative for stadiums or future proof them.
I live around the corner from the Stadium, I can hear every gig.
It will still be a concrete palace with cold chips and $15 beers.
We are a people with a low horizon imagination fixated on cow udders, Rugby and repressed alcoholism.
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Mayor Brown has 200,000 Chinese National voters that also apparently vote for him, maybe he could have got a “made in PRC” cheap stadium built. That would be even worse, we are no longer equipped or have the talent to build anything other than cheap upgrades. Oh and we are really good at chucking babies out with the bathwater.
As an openly repressed alcoholic can I just say that I for one quite liked the idea of the new water front stadium.
Do we need these super stadiums? Or neighborhood parks, football fields and netball courts? Depends whether you want sport as a lavish capitalist spectacle or as a healthy pursuit for Kiwi kids. The proper decision would have been no stadium at all. Instead more parks, more playing fields and more local halls for local performers. The grossly overpaid celebrity performers in international sport and entertainment should not be subsidized by a single cent at the expense of the city ratepayers or the nation’s taxpayers.
As one who doesn’t live Auckland I don’t give a shit if Auckland does or doesn’t get a stadium they think they deserve.
If they want one, build it from the funding provided by those that will benefit from it Rugby, Entertainment promotors, local business, hospitality etc.
Not paid for by the Taxpayers in Westport or Timaru or Whanganui or Kerikeri.
Don’t see too much funding from the taxpayers to build monuments in those towns. They usually have to fundraise themselves they might get a Lotto grant but majority is paid by the poor old ratepayers.
Why on earth wouldn’t we build a new stadium down town where there is hotels and public transport. Sell off Albany stadium, Eden park and Mt smart stadium to to help fund it.
This country cannot help itself.