Warriors boss eyes waterfront stadium

AUCKLAND’S long-running waterfront stadium debate has been reignited by the New Zealand Warriors rugby league franchise, whose new chairman is confident he could secure funding for onethird of a $300 million facility with a roof.

Former high-flying Australian executive Bill Wavish, now the Warriors chairman, challenged John Key’s Government and Auckland’s Super City administrators to match contributions he believes he can raise from the corporate sector for a stadium in the central business district.

The call by Wavish, a former executive chairman of Australia’s Meyer Department Stores and the current chairman of Bendon Ltd, came after he met officials from Regional Facilities Auckland, the council-controlled organisation which manages the city’s major regional facilities including sport and entertainment venues, last week to discuss the current state of the Warriors’ base at Mt Smart Stadium.

Wavish wants to see the capacity increased to at least 26,000.

Robert Domm, the head of RFA, yesterday said: ‘‘Mt Smart Stadium is over 30 years old and like any structure of that age requires periodic maintenance and renewal.

‘‘Regional Facilities Auckland has earmarked nearly $16 million over coming years for Mt Smart renewal work, commencing in July this year.’’

Wavish says the Warriors don’t want to move to Eden Park, where they have played twice in two seasons, and instead want to be the catalyst for building a new central city-based stadium where they would be an anchor tenant.

The suggestion is sure to resume the debate over whether Eden Park, upgraded at a cost of more than $240m for last year’s Rugby World Cup, should remain the city’s premier football venue, or if Auckland should follow Dunedin’s successful example and build a smaller boutique roofed stadium.

‘‘I’ve said to the council: ‘Why don’t we ask the Government to give us $100 million, you give us $100 million, and through private enterprise we’ll find the other $100 million, and let’s give Auckland a stadium the city deserves,’’ Wavish said in his first interview since becoming chairman of the Owen Glenn and Eric Watson-owned Warriors in March.

‘‘The view is that the opportunity has gone. But I think it’s got to come back at some time. We are going to keep talking about it because it’s got to have its moment. ‘‘I can look after my third of it. ‘‘Everybody is telling me not to be so stupid. But why should Dunedin get a new stadium and Auckland can’t? We are an international city and we deserve it.

‘‘If we are going to play winter sports, then I think we ought to have something that can be covered. If there’s a will, there’s a way.’’

However, Domm said that given Auckland already boasts three stadiums – Mt Smart, Eden Park and North Harbour Stadium – the prospect of building another would be ‘‘a very long-term proposition’’.

‘‘Council may consider there are more important infrastructure priorities in Auckland than building another stadium within the next 20 years to 30 years or so,’’ he said.

The Warriors have no plans to walk away from their home ground, however.

‘‘We remain committed to Mt Smart Stadium for the majority of our games. While we are prepared to play some games at Eden Park, we certainly don’t want to play the majority of our games at Eden Park,’’ Wavish said.

The Warriors will also look at staging one-off games out of Auckland in ‘‘places like Wellington, Dunedin and Hamilton’’.