Auckland Mayor Phil Goff needs to get off the stadium fence

Monday, 22 October 2018

The Auckland Waterfront Consortium has launched an ambitious proposal that would see a 50,000-seat fully enclosed stadium built alongside a redeveloped Bledisloe Wharf.

OPINION: Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has spent years sitting on the fence over the question of a downtown stadium. Now would be a good time to get off it.

Last week's unveiling by a private sector consortium of a proposal for a $1.8 billion stadium funded by associated property development has re-ignited the stadium debate.

The Auckland Waterfront Consortium has put some effort into the project, in a climate where Goff has appeared encouraging to the notion of a stadium plan that didn't need ratepayer funding.

However as the plan was being revealed, Goff reverted to his other political mode of pointing out it's 'not a priority' and 'there are no plans (for council) to fund work on this proposal.'

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Goff wouldn't be interviewed on the unveiling of the biggest private sector development proposal unveiled during his term in office.

Despite his public encouragement of private proposals Goff has chosen not to meet AWC, sending his staff in to look for him.

The mayor's enigmatic statement on the proposal underlines his uncertain stance.

'Council welcomes the debate that the new stadium proposal creates and hearing from Aucklanders what they think of the location and design which the consortium has put forward.' he said in one breath.

The latest striking plan for a waterfront stadium - so what next?

'There's a lot of work that will need to be done to determine whether or not the proposal is viable.'

But in another breath - no, the council won't contribute to the costly next round of investigation.

Goff's interest in 'hearing from Aucklanders' could be a read as a politician waiting to see which way the electoral wind blows.

That's a luxury that the mayor of the country's biggest city doesn't have.

A downtown stadium, especially one on the waterfront, will tear up years of other work on the methodical master-planning of an expanding public waterfront.

AWC's plan which removes two wharves, up to 14 hectares of working port space, would tear up the 30-year strategy by Ports of Auckland on how it can handle growth within its existing footprint.

It throws a curve ball into the city's own stadium strategy, a reshuffle of sporting codes and venues which may just be falling into place

Maybe any of the above would be a good thing, but Aucklanders, private sector entrepreneurs and council agencies need to know which road to go down.

Goff needs to lead, as his predecessor Len Brown did on the originally controversial idea of an underground rail link under the CBD.

If Brown had acted like Goff, the council would only now be dusting off the City Rail Link plan following last year's change of government, rather than being well on its way to completion.

So what is it going to be on Auckland's waterfront Mr Goff ?

Does Auckland press on, perhaps with a little more determination, on rolling out the transformation of a public waterfront.

Does Auckland future-proof another of those undisclosed possible stadium sites identified in the PWC report that you spent $935,000 of ratepayers money commissioning ?

Does the council-owned Ports of Auckland pause its 30-year development strategy ?

The downtown or waterfront stadium is not an issue that can be allowed to simmer, waiting for the next knock on the door and the line: 'Have I got a deal for you.'

It's time for clear direction.