Aucklanders to weigh in on Western Springs stadium proposals
At one point, Brown joked: 'We have heard from you guys for seven hours, I just want to hear from the public.'
Billionaire Anna Mowbray and husband Ali Williams are part of a consortium with Texan billionaire and Auckland FC backer Bill Foley that is behind the 'Auckland Arena' – incorporating a new 12,500-seat stadium, community sports facilities, a high-performance centre, and hospitality.
The Auckland Arena team has released a video of its proposal, featuring a campaign to generate public support. Ali Williams said: 'Western Springs is just crying out for it to happen.'
Sir Bryan Williams has spent much of his life at Ponsonby Rugby Club, which has teamed up with two music promoters to build a Hollywood Bowl-style live concert and festival venue, a 5000-seat boutique stadium, and a multi-sport community hub.
The backers of the 'Western Springs Bowl' have said they did not wish to comment beyond what Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU) has released until the process is concluded, but Bryan Williams told the Herald last year: 'There is no alternative to fit our needs like Western Springs.'
There are no firm plans to relocate Ponsonby Rugby Club when its lease expires in 2027 but the council body that oversees stadiums, TAU, is looking at Coxs Bay and Victoria Park.
The mayor and councillors are keeping an open mind until public consultation closes next month and the feedback is assessed, but the TAU board has already evaluated the two options and backs the Auckland Arena with a new 12,500-seat sports stadium as its preferred option.
TAU chief executive Nick Hill today said the Auckland Arena is the best option, saying it is the best proposal for ratepayers financially and includes investment into football and basketball, which are Auckland's fastest-growing sports and are struggling for infrastructure.
For the second time, Brown today declined a request from representatives of the speedway community to address the governing body. He refused a similar request last October when councillors voted to move speedway from Western Springs to Waikaraka Park in Onehunga.
Said councillor John Watson: 'These people were cut out in their entirety and denied speaking rights twice.'
Brown also declined a request today for Ali Williams to address the meeting.
Public consultation is due to run from May 19 to June 15.
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RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Couple take former Pāpāmoa Beach homeowner to court as she refuses to leave
By Hannah Bartlett, Open Justice reporter of Terina O'Connell says she had not consented to the mortgagee sale but ASB went ahead with it anyway. Photo: Hannah Bartlett / NZME A couple who bought a Pāpāmoa Beach house needed a High Court order to remove the previous owner, after she refused to leave the property. New owners Benjamin and Chelsea Brown bought the two-bedroom home at a mortgagee sale this year, with settlement taking place on 21 May. Previous owner Terina O'Connell said she had been trying to "negotiate a solution with ASB for two years" and had not consented to the sale of her home. As a result, she refused to move out and even went as far as reaching out to people on social media, asking them to come to her home and support her before settlement day. The new owners sought a trespass order on 22 May to remove O'Connell and her supporters, and when that didn't work, they took their case to the High Court. According to a recently released High Court decision, Justice Dani Gardiner held a telephone conference on 6 June, when O'Connell's position could be heard by all parties. The court was also referred to a Facebook post she made, where she invited supporters to join her at the house. There are two posts still on her Facebook page, in which she did a "call-out" for support, saying "all I know is that the supposed settlement is Tuesday, 20 May 2025 - tomorrow". She said the purchasers had "made a deal with the devil" and that "the bank does not own my property, I have no business with you and I am not bound by any contract you made". She posted that she "would appreciate some support at my home... tomorrow afternoon... tomorrow night and for the next couple of days". While not discussed in the High Court judgment, there was also a livestreamed Facebook interview that O'Connell did with Counterspin Media, in which she explained her views on the "alleged debt" owed to the bank. In it, she said she had paused her mortgage repayments, while the bank refused to provide her with documentation she had requested or answer questions she had. The judge summarised O'Connell's position as primarily taking issue with the mortgagee sale process conducted by ASB. O'Connell told the court she'd tried to "negotiate a solution" for two years and had not consented to the mortgagee sale, and said ASB went ahead with the sale anyway. She also said ASB's solicitor advised her of the settlement date, but said she was told the couple's lawyer would contact her about vacating. O'Connell said that never happened and, the day after settlement, the new owner arrived at the property, followed by security guards and police, and she had been "harassed". She rejected the couple's claim that her presence at the house, with others, had posed a risk of damage to the property, adding they were there to "support her through this stressful time", and that she would experience emotional and financial hardship, if forced to leave. Justice Gardiner's decision said the Browns were the registered owners, and any issues that O'Connell had before the mortgagee sale were "between her and ASB". "These issues do not affect the plaintiffs' legal ownership of the property," Justice Gardiner said. The judge said, while it may have been unfortunate if O'Connell had been unaware the couple intended to take possession of the property immediately on settlement, that was the usual case. She also accepted there was a risk of damage to the property by O'Connell or her supporters. 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"As an indication of potential financial issues, of the total number of home loans in that period, 17,445 loans switched from principal and interest repayments to interest-only repayments." - This story originally appeared in the Zealand Herald .
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
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The monetarists, the supply-side guys, the neo-liberals, (whatever you want to call them) are berating the Government for not dealing with the national debt and Crown deficit by administering a Rogernomics-style reboot of the whole economy. I doubt that would make the current downturn any more pleasant, but they argue it couldn't be much worse. And the payoff would be longer-term gains as the economy found a more productive and financially secure baseline. Both arguments can be compelling and, if nothing else, add to the concern that the current strategy of subtle market-oriented tweaks risks underdelivering on all sides. But through all of this gloom, one thing we need to remember is that most economists still believe the foundations of recovery are in place. Step back a bit from the mess of ugly recent economic data – the second quarter sucked, we get it! What are we actually experiencing? The labour market is tough. 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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
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