Latest news with #WesternSpringsStadium
1News
08-07-2025
- Business
- 1News
Rich-listers pull out of Western Springs Stadium project
Auckland Football Club's rich-lister owners have pulled their proposal to take over Western Springs Stadium. The privately funded venue focused on football, Auckland Arena, was backed by entrepreneur Anna Mowbray, her husband, former All Black Ali Williams, American businessman Bill Foley, and New Zealander and NBA player Steven Adams. It was one of three options for the future of the stadium that went out for public consultation in May. Auckland Council's economic and cultural agency, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU), earlier told councillors they favoured the Auckland Arena proposal. The decision comes just weeks after Mowbray and Williams' controversial resource consent application to build a helipad at their multi-million dollar Westmere property was approved. ADVERTISEMENT TAU chief executive Nick Hill told RNZ on Tuesday they were informed by the backers of the Auckland Arena concept for the stadium that they had withdrawn their submission to the expression of interest (EOI) process relating to the future use of the stadium. "We were disappointed to hear of the withdrawal of the Auckland Arena proposal. The EOI evaluation panel and our board had deemed it to be the most positive solution for Auckland. TAU was set to provide a recommendation to the council on which proposal to go ahead with at an upcoming meeting on July 31. Hill said the TAU Board would put off advising councillors on the issue until after the city's local government elections in October. "Western Springs Stadium is a historic and valued asset with huge potential. We need to consider the public consultation feedback before deciding next steps. We are committed to making a recommendation that will deliver positive outcomes and provide certainty for Aucklanders." Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson said the outcome was frustrating after significant time and resources were spent hearing from the public. "We've had a really difficult conversation with the public with some high emotion, and to find out on the morning of the release of feedback to councillors that one of the options we asked the public about has pulled out is a disappointing outcome. ADVERTISEMENT "It [the withdrawal] affects the rest of the consultation." He said councillors were set to select an option for the stadium this month, but a conclusion to the months-long debate was now looking much further away. He said it was too early to know if the council would need to consult the public again. "There's every chance that might be an outcome because this consultation appears to have had the well poisoned." The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including deadly Texas floods, Australian woman attacked by a lion, and Elon Musk's new political party. (Source: 1News) No clear favourite in feedback to council The council revealed on Tuesday it received 14,894 submissions on how the stadium should be used during the consultation period, which went from 19 May to 15 June. ADVERTISEMENT Feedback showed a wide range of views and there was no clear preferred option, the council said. Of the individual submissions, 33% supported the option to explore other ideas, which included returning speedway to the stadium where it had been for the past 100 years. Another 30% of individual submitters favoured the CRS records proposal, Western Springs Bowl, which would offer a live music and festival venue and 5000 to 8000-seat boutique stadium for community and semi-professional sport, including Ponsonby Rugby Club, whose lease of the stadium expires in 2027. The now ditched Auckland Arena idea was backed by 21% of individual submitters, while 16% preferred to keep things as they are. Feedback from organisations showed 35% wanted other options explored, 33% preferred Western Springs Bowl, 29% preferred Auckland Arena, and 3% wanted things to stay as they were. The council said TAU had advised that they needed more time to assess the remaining options before recommending an appropriate path forward. It said they expected to provide newly elected councillors with advice on the matter early in the next council term. ADVERTISEMENT
RNZ News
07-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Rich-listers pull out of Western Springs Stadium project
Western Springs. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Auckland Football Club's rich-lister owners have pulled their proposal to take over Western Springs Stadium. The privately funded venue focused on football, Auckland Arena, was backed by entrepreneur Anna Mowbray, her husband, former All Black Ali Williams, American businessman Bill Foley, and New Zealander and NBA player Steven Adams. It was one of three options for the future of the stadium that went out for public consultation in May. Auckland Council's economic and cultural agency, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU), earlier told councillors they favoured the Auckland Arena proposal. The decision comes just weeks after Mowbray and Williams' controversial resource consent application to build a helipad at their multi-million dollar Westmere property was approved. TAU chief executive Nick Hill told RNZ on Tuesday they were informed by the backers of the Auckland Arena concept for the stadium that they had withdrawn their submission to the expression of interest (EOI) process relating to the future use of the stadium. "We were disappointed to hear of the withdrawal of the Auckland Arena proposal. The EOI evaluation panel and our board had deemed it to be the most positive solution for Auckland. TAU was set to provide a recommendation to the council on which proposal to go ahead with at an upcoming meeting on 31 July. Hill said the TAU Board would put off advising councillors on the issue until after the city's local government elections in October. "Western Springs Stadium is a historic and valued asset with huge potential. We need to consider the public consultation feedback before deciding next steps. We are committed to making a recommendation that will deliver positive outcomes and provide certainty for Aucklanders." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
14-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Feedback on the future of Western Springs Stadium due
Submissions on the future of Western Springs Stadium must be submitted by midnight on Sunday. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Sunday is the last day the public can give feedback on how Auckland's Western Springs Stadium should be used . Auckland Council said it had already received more than 9200 submissions. The council said it was considering two competing proposals: A multisport venue backed by Auckland Football Club's owners and a live music and festival venue backed by CRS Records and supported by musician Neil Finn. The multi-sport venue Auckland Arena favoured by the council's economic and cultural agency, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, would be a 12,500 to 15,000 seat stadium that could also host concerts. The CRS records proposal, Western Springs Bowl, would also offer a 5000 to 8000-seat boutique stadium for community and semi-professional sport. A third option is for Auckland Council to do nothing or explore other ideas, including renewing Ponsonby Rugby Club's lease expiring in 2027 or keep speedway at the stadium in some form, where it had been for the past 100 years. As well as being able to email in submissions, the council said hard copy versions of the consultation document and feedback form were available at Mt Albert, Pt Chevalier, Grey Lynn, and Central City libraries, and at Leys Institute Little Library in Ponsonby. The deadline for feedback is Sunday at 11.59pm. Councillors will be considering the public's feedback on 31 July and if option one or two is preferred by the council, council staff and TAU will work on completing a deal.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Tātaki Auckland on plans for Western Springs
sport infrastructure 23 minutes ago Auckland council's economic and cultural agency is backing plans for Western Springs stadium to become the home for football club Auckland FC. Tātaki Auckland chief executive Nick Hill spoke to Charlotte Cook.
RNZ News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Auckland's Western Springs Stadium's future up for public consultation
There are three proposals open for public consultation on the future of Western Springs Stadium. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi After more than 100 years at Auckland's Western Springs Stadium, the Ponsonby Rugby Club faces losing its home if the space becomes the new base for the city's football team - Auckland FC. Public submissions on the stadium's future open on Monday. One is a privately funded venue focused on football. It is backed by rich lister Anna Mowbray and her husband, former All Black Ali Williams. It is the preferred option of the council's economic and cultural agency, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, with plans to turn it into a new 12,500 to 15,000-seat stadium that would be home for Auckland FC, as well as a concert venue. But the Ponsonby Rugby Club wants the stadium to remain in community hands. A third option is for Auckland Council to do nothing or explore other ideas. Tātaki Auckland and the city's Mayor, Wayne Brown, declined an interview with Morning Report this morning. Former All Black Sir Bryan Williams has spent much of his life at Ponsonby Rugby Club. He said it was important to preserve public access to one of Auckland's most iconic community spaces. "It's a natural amphitheatre Western Springs and as far as I'm concerned and others, many others, it needs to be preserved." The venue had been home to speedway and concerts, he said. "I remember you know watching the Rolling Stones at Western Springs and an exhibition fight with Mohammed Ali, I saw Peter Snell create a world record, I think it might of been for 2000 metres back in the day." Sir Bryan said they were proposing to have a community facility at Western Springs that would provide club rooms for Ponsonby but also be available for use by the community. They had also worked in with concert promoters CRS Records and Eccles Entertainment, he said. "They would build a permanent stage at Western Springs and it'd still be open obviously to holding large concerts." Sir Bryan said having both a community facility and the ability to hold large concerts at Western Springs would meet Auckland Council's objectives. Their proposal would definitely require some public funding, he said. Sir Bryan said the key reason for opposing the alternative proposal was that it would mean that Ponsonby Rugby Club and the public would not have access. "It would be a concrete stadium with apparently commercial spaces, people would have to pay for access to those facilities." But the history of Western Springs is that it had been a fantastic community facility for concerts, sports and community use, he said. Ponsonby Rugby Club was 150 years old and had served the public for a long time, he said. There would be a lot of obstacles such as parking and getting a liquor licence to it finding another suitable venue, he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
