Mayor's wishlist: Commonwealth Games 2030 and more money for Te Kaha

Saturday, 20 January 2024

It will be 50 years in January 2024 since Christchurch hosted the Commonwealth Games and mayor Phil Mauger wants to do it again.

On the 50th anniversary of Christchurch’s 1974 Commonwealth Games the mayor is calling for the city to make a serious bid to host the 2030 games.

Mayor Phil Mauger also wants Christchurch to formally ask its neighbours to help fund Te Kaha stadium.

Both items are on the Mayor’s monthly report to council, which was released on Friday afternoon and will be considered by councillors on Wednesday.

Mauger’s Commonwealth Games aspirations are well documented. When the 2026 Games’ host state of Victoria in Australia pulled out, he told the public he thought Christchurch should swoop in.

But he failed to get the support of council colleagues, who described it as “impractical” and “super risky”, especially as key sports facilities may not be open in time.

Neither did he have the support of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, whose chief executive Nicki Nichol told The Press in July it was looking toward a bid for the 2034 games - exactly 60 years after Christchurch hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1974.

Te Kaha stadium is expected to open mid-2026, and could be a key facility in the 2030 Commonwealth Games. (Digital render).

ChristchurchNZ and Sport Canterbury agreed 2034 was more realistic, with Sport Canterbury’s chief executive saying Christchurch should be part of a countrywide bid.

The Canadian province of Alberta was expected to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games but pulled its bid in August due to rising costs, which had grown to an estimated NZ$3.32 billion.

In his monthly report, Mauger suggested that Christchurch could step up with the help of existing facilities across the South Island.

By 2030, Te Kaha stadium will be built and the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre should be finished.

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger wants the city to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and will also formally ask neighbouring councils to help fund Te Kaha stadium.

Mauger believes a major citywide event was needed to complete current projects. It would signal to the world that Christchurch was “open for business”, his report says.

He wants council staff and Christchurch NZ to provide advice on the viability of the bid by August 2024, but whether that request will be made depends on the support of his colleagues on Wednesday.

What he isn’t asking permission for on Wednesday is to formally ask Christchurch’s neighbouring councils to consider co-funding Te Kaha.

The $683 million stadium has been developed without the input of the Waimakariri and Selwyn District’s elected members or residents, but Mauger says there have been informal conversations about joint funding for its construction and/or ongoing operation.

He wants to “test the appetite” of the Waimakariri and Selwyn district councils for receiving and considering a proposed cost sharing model.

The request is no surprise. In August, councillor Sam MacDonald told The Press he and Mauger thought the region should help with costs because the benefits of the stadium would be felt beyond the city limits.

He said without a contribution from neighbouring councils, Christchurch City Council may need to introduce a ticket levy for out-of-towners to help with ongoing costs.

Mauger previously told The Press “if we don’t ask, we’ll never know”.

The Mayors of Waimakariri and Selwyn Districts have not ruled out financial support, but told The Press last year any formal request would need to go through their residents.