{"id":155977,"date":"2025-11-27T07:39:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T07:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/155977\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T07:39:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T07:39:05","slug":"auckland-council-backs-more-eden-park-concerts-in-principle-after-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/155977\/","title":{"rendered":"Auckland Council backs more Eden Park concerts \u2018in principle\u2019 after debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early in the meeting, the councillors heard from Margi Watson, chair of the Albert-Eden Local Board, which voted 4-3 last week to oppose the plan.<\/p>\n

Watson explained that her board supported some liberalisation of the rules around concerts at Eden Park<\/a>, but wanted Sundays to remain free and a \u201crespite\u201d from concerts on at least one weekend in every five.<\/p>\n

The board was also worried about damage to the streets from the extra trucks packing the shows in and out.<\/p>\n

It pointed out that in 2024, an Independent Hearings Panel had proposed a maximum of 12 concerts, calling it \u201cright at the edge of acceptability\u201d. The council at the time had accepted this.<\/p>\n

Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson asked Watson if the board\u2019s position was based on the views of the wider community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ask this because I\u2019ve read the results of the survey<\/a> done by the local MP and there\u2019s a disparate outcome from your position.\u201d<\/p>\n

A recent survey by Mt Albert MP Helen White showed 80% support for more concerts. Watson said the board\u2019s view was its own.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be interesting to see what comes back from the public consultation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Watson also said the board has heard from local residents who say they can\u2019t hold a barbecue on a Saturday afternoon when the All Blacks are playing because \u201ctheir in-laws can\u2019t drive into the area and park\u201d.<\/p>\n

Councillor Bo Burns from Howick summed up the feeling around the council table when she asked: \u201cWhat\u2019s more important, 15 noisy late nights or the businesses being viable?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s 30 nights,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n

\"SpeciallySpecially decorated Bluebells cupcakes presented to Auckland Council by Nick Sautner, Eden Park chief executive. Photo \/ Simon Wilson<\/p>\n

Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner also addressed the meeting. He began by tabling a large box of cupcakes made specially for the occasion by Bluebells, a local caker.<\/p>\n

There were many jokes about bribes.<\/p>\n

Sautner outlined why Eden Park was keen to host more concerts and other events. Despite making a $4.2 million profit<\/a> this year, it is projecting a mere $145,000 profit in 2026. Part of the reason, he said, is that the stadium can\u2019t hold more events.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe research is compelling. We\u2019ve got a billion-dollar asset that is being underutilised.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sautner also explained how valuable Eden Park events are to nearby hospitality businesses on Dominion Rd and in Kingsland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dominion Rd business association has told me that when Coldplay was here, dining on Dominion Rd surged 22%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councillor Lotu Fuli of Manukau said it wasn\u2019t just local businesses that benefited. She\u2019d been in the Sylvia Park shopping centre the day after the Metallica<\/a> concert this month and seen \u201cso many people in their black Metallica T-shirts carrying all their shopping bags\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"HugeHuge crowds queue to get into Metallica at Eden Park. Photos \/ Corey Fleming<\/p>\n

Sautner said he made no apologies for wanting the Eden Park experience to keep getting better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to be competitive with the east coast of Australia and that means we have to be continually upgrading our facility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simpson quoted the Government-commissioned report that said council restrictions on Eden Park activity had cost the city $432m in lost revenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to do everything we can to let Eden Park realise its potential. I think these recommendations do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councillor Andy Baker of Franklin pointed out that the previous council had strongly supported the Eden Park 2.1 plan, which proposes a roof for the stadium and many other improvements to the visitor experience.<\/p>\n

The minister\u2019s proposal, he said, was in line with that decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to make some hard decisions,\u201d Baker said. \u201cWe need to decide if we\u2019re going to accept Eden Park 2.1 and get on board with it, or are we going to keep muddling along.\u201d<\/p>\n

When North Shore councillor Richard Hills introduced the debate, he said: \u201cBasically we\u2019re supporting Eden Park, supporting more events.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the other North Shore councillor, John Gillon, pointed out that the motion they were being asked to vote on, which ran to more than a page, didn\u2019t say that.<\/p>\n

He said although it made lots of good points, \u201cWhere\u2019s our view on extra concerts and Sundays and extended hours and all the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n

After some wrangling, Wait\u0101kere councillor Shane Henderson suggested the councillors add a sentence making their position clear.<\/p>\n

They agreed to add a sentence expressing support for more concerts at Eden Park, \u201cin principle\u201d.<\/p>\n

But the council also agreed to tell the minister that extra events will mean extra traffic management plans, which the council does not want to pay for. And the council still wants the Government to allow a bed-night levy, to provide funds to pay for all the other costs council faces when the city swells with people.<\/p>\n

Lee disagreed with all this. \u201cShould we not be endorsing the local board\u2019s resolution?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Mayor Wayne Brown said. \u201cIt\u2019s crap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public consultation on Bishop\u2019s plan closed on November 19 and he is now awaiting the result.<\/p>\n

Simon Wilson is an award-winning senior writer covering politics, the climate crisis, transport, housing, urban design and social issues, with a focus on Auckland. He joined the Herald in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Early in the meeting, the councillors heard from Margi Watson, chair of the Albert-Eden Local Board, which voted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":155978,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[74,51,32319,4971,5205,4101,8142,87156,78,130,111,139,69,8143,2170,103343,213],"class_list":{"0":"post-155977","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-after","9":"tag-auckland","10":"tag-backs","11":"tag-concerts","12":"tag-council","13":"tag-debate","14":"tag-eden","15":"tag-endorsed","16":"tag-in","17":"tag-more","18":"tag-new-zealand","19":"tag-newzealand","20":"tag-nz","21":"tag-park","22":"tag-plan","23":"tag-principle","24":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}