Posts by Russell Brown
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However, if it will help the cause and for the record, this tax payer is happy for central Government to use it's money to finance the project. I suspect the Government will be carrying most of the liability for cost overruns anyway.
This is one of the ironies of this bizarre situation. Up here, it's Aucklander vs. Aucklander. Everywhere else, I think the majority of the population actually seems quite happy about the idea.
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Ambiguity is the price I pay for writing in haste. What I meant was that I see them tossing it largely back to the promoters, who in the absence of civic largesse might reaquaint themselves with the temporary seating option.
The trust board is currently holding out its hand for $255m in public funding, which I really object to them getting, so I'd hope so.
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What's the chance they call it the Mallard Stadium? I mean, since we lost the hallowed Mallard Stand some time ago (are they related?)
Assuming you're not being ironic, that was the Millard Stand at Athletic Park.
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So I am not sure it is true to say they will need an RMA suspension
That's what the ACC site says will be necessary.
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I predict they will try to push the Government into making the IRB or NZRFU dig deep to come up with an 80 million dollar resolution of the 12,000-odd seat shortage for the final.
I would actually prefer the quick-n-dirty fix for Eden Park than pouring $400m into a dead venue, if that were possible. If by "resolution" you mean "agree to it", then that's probably not too difficult. If you mean "come up with the money", there's no chance. The NZRFU will probably lose money on the World Cup, and the IRB traditionally grasps every cent it can get. The trust board will squeal about spending that much on a temporary improvement, but could possibly have its collective arm forced up its back.
They'll propose that we do something splendid on the Tank Farm in due course, without suspending the RMA and democratic process and call it a National Stadium. This stadium would be funded by the government rather then the people of Auckland. That's the way they do it with 'National' buildings in Wellington.
Hmmm. In one way, yes, it's still a CBD stadium, and not Eden Park or NH Stadium, so that would be good. I guess the additional distance between the site and the CBD transport facilities would only be a little longer than that from the Wellington CBD to their stadium.
But "in due course" means 10-20 years for the land uses to change, and longer for cleaning up. There would be a lot of work in picking up enough space on the Western Reclamation, and even more residential building there by the time you do it.
I'm assuming the future stadium would go on the reclamation and not out on Wynyard Pt, the tank farm proper. If ever there was anywhere for a mixed-use public park opening to the harbour, it's out there on the point. If somebody plonks a stadium there (and there wouldn't be room for much else) I'm going round to Tessa Duder's to drink gin and cry.
PS: Oh, yeah, the money. The ACC has already indicated that the ratepayers' contribution would be capped at $50m, and by the time the cost blows out, I think central government would be picking a lot more than the 50% it's currently offering - it wouldn't have much choice. It would take an unprecedented degree of unanimity for Auckland to convince a future government to open its wallet to the same degree, but achieving such common purpose would possibly be therapeutic in itself ...
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The rhetoric came from noted architects and planners, an associate professor of law, city councillors, MP's, and also other illuminaries. It hardly 'defied reason'.
I thought the bits I quoted did.
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As for Neilsen Ratings. I had no diea one can subscribe. Does it cost anything? Give me a pointer and then the (non) competition can begin :-)
It was $100 a month, and then it went up but I can't recall how much offhand. It's the equivalent of the ABC circulation figures: you need it if you want to sell advertising. It's customary to grumble that they undercount your unique users.
They also have a demographic panel that can cough up some interesting results.
The service is good but the website always seems punishingly slow to me - I tend to look at our internal stats more often. Contacts here:
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I am sure she will pass on any polite and reasonable requests to muzzle DC to the big boss: nicky.jones@apn.co.nz
I think it's a better idea to write a letter to the editor; that's the process. Writing to the CEO trying to get someone sacked isn't a great look. And apart from anything else, it would be the sowing the seeds of anti-PC martyrdom.
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The alternative for the waterfront stadium is not to create some new open-space design; the stadium is the only means to wrestle the land off the port.
Yup. Having perused Auckland Waterfront Vision 2040, it is my perception that there is no other way that Ports will be moved off that land. It actually says Captain Cook Wharf will remain in commercial use "for the foreseeable future".
I wish people like Keith Locke would actually acknowledge that when they sermonise about the despoiling of "Auckland's beautiful waterfront".
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Although the french camera-guys did their best to try and ruin the experience with all those stupid zoom-ins and slow-motion glow replays of people licking their lips. Seriously, what's with that?
My friend Big Gay Paul advised me that those sequences were in fact GayCam.
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