Proposed Eden Park design betters bid commitment
Hon Trevor Mallard
Minister for the Rugby World Cup
19 February 2007
Joint Statement
Embargoed until 1pm
Proposed Eden Park design betters bid commitment
The government is to support an Eden Park upgrade that will deliver a quality finals venue for the Rugby World Cup in 2011, and exceed IRB commitments, Minister for the Rugby World Cup Trevor Mallard announced today.
"The proposed redesign, approved by Cabinet today, will involve the construction of a new permanent South Stand and the use of high quality temporary seating, to provide a world class player and spectator experience," Trevor Mallard said.
"Through the construction of a new South Stand and the use of modern temporary seating, this proposed upgrade meets accepted international stadium standards, including view lines and seat spacing, and most importantly it will provide the amenity value, premium seating, and quality of facilities outlined in the original bid to host the tournament.
"We are confident that this proposed design for a finals venue, alongside all the other event planning underway, will deliver a tournament and sporting spectacle that New Zealand can celebrate - not just because of the tournament's place in our sporting history but also through generating an estimated $507million in tourism and other economic benefits throughout the country."
Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd Chairman Jock Hobbs said the tournament company had also given its approval to the new design.
"RNZ 2011 Ltd is supportive of this revised Eden Park proposal which is in keeping with our commitments to the IRB and our desire to host a tournament in New Zealand which we can all be proud of.
"This new proposal is superior to the one outlined in our original bid, which also included a mixture of permanent and temporary facilities, and having consulted with the IRB, we are confident it meets the IRB's expectations for the tournament.
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"We will continue to work with the government and Eden Park Trust Board, and with the IRB, to progress this proposal and to ensure the re-developed Eden Park is in place for the Rugby World Cup in 2011," said Jock Hobbs.
Trevor Mallard said modern temporary seating design was as good a standard as permanent facilities.
"In fact, temporary seating is now routinely utilised and widely accepted for major sporting events worldwide - 68 per cent of the main stadium for the 2012 London Olympics will be temporary. It was also used at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and the 2004 Athens Olympics."
The original bid, which was accepted by the IRB, proposed to increase the seating capacity of Eden Park to 60,000 seats, using a combination of permanent and temporary seating.
"This new proposal exceeds that commitment. The temporary seating we propose to build over the Panasonic Stand and the Eastern Terraces will be a vast improvement on the quality of seating currently in place and it will also enhance the venue's visual appeal through creating a bowl effect," Trevor Mallard said.
"The upgrade design also has the potential for a seating capacity greater than 60,000 through temporary seating behind the West Stand, should Rugby New Zealand (RNZ) 2011 Ltd agree that there is a positive business case for this to happen.
"The proposed temporary seating above the new South Stand also provides more prime viewing seats than was proposed in the original bid."
Trevor Mallard said the proposed upgrade provided a legacy for Auckland as it created a permanent capacity of around 50,000 seats at Eden Park, and involved a new South Stand that would include new corporate boxes, media and players' facilities.
"The estimated $175 million to $190 million cost of the upgrade is also in line with the fact that Eden Park is a regional stadium and that its use post-tournament is limited by resource consent conditions and its location in a residential neighbourhood."
The temporary seating will require resource consent approval but given it is for a specific one-off event over a relatively short period of time, the necessary consents should not be problematic. The new South Stand will be designed to fit within the current building envelope, particularly the 30-metre height restriction.
"The Eden Park Trust Board has asked us to also explore whether the temporary seating over the Panasonic Stand and Eastern terraces could be permanent. We've undertaken to investigate this on the basis that building permanent seats here would be at no cost to central, local government and RNZ 2011 Ltd, and that there is no reduction in seat numbers," Trevor Mallard said.
The Cabinet decision is based on the advice of a technical working group of experts which included Swiss temporary seating specialists Nussli International Ltd, and the London office of HOK Sport Architecture, one of the world's leading stadium designers.
For the powerpoint presentation and pictures go to www.med.govt.nz/rwc/eden-park/
Minister for the Rugby World Cup
19 February 2007
Joint Statement
Embargoed until 1pm
Proposed Eden Park design betters bid commitment
The government is to support an Eden Park upgrade that will deliver a quality finals venue for the Rugby World Cup in 2011, and exceed IRB commitments, Minister for the Rugby World Cup Trevor Mallard announced today.
"The proposed redesign, approved by Cabinet today, will involve the construction of a new permanent South Stand and the use of high quality temporary seating, to provide a world class player and spectator experience," Trevor Mallard said.
"Through the construction of a new South Stand and the use of modern temporary seating, this proposed upgrade meets accepted international stadium standards, including view lines and seat spacing, and most importantly it will provide the amenity value, premium seating, and quality of facilities outlined in the original bid to host the tournament.
"We are confident that this proposed design for a finals venue, alongside all the other event planning underway, will deliver a tournament and sporting spectacle that New Zealand can celebrate - not just because of the tournament's place in our sporting history but also through generating an estimated $507million in tourism and other economic benefits throughout the country."
Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd Chairman Jock Hobbs said the tournament company had also given its approval to the new design.
"RNZ 2011 Ltd is supportive of this revised Eden Park proposal which is in keeping with our commitments to the IRB and our desire to host a tournament in New Zealand which we can all be proud of.
"This new proposal is superior to the one outlined in our original bid, which also included a mixture of permanent and temporary facilities, and having consulted with the IRB, we are confident it meets the IRB's expectations for the tournament.
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"We will continue to work with the government and Eden Park Trust Board, and with the IRB, to progress this proposal and to ensure the re-developed Eden Park is in place for the Rugby World Cup in 2011," said Jock Hobbs.
Trevor Mallard said modern temporary seating design was as good a standard as permanent facilities.
"In fact, temporary seating is now routinely utilised and widely accepted for major sporting events worldwide - 68 per cent of the main stadium for the 2012 London Olympics will be temporary. It was also used at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and the 2004 Athens Olympics."
The original bid, which was accepted by the IRB, proposed to increase the seating capacity of Eden Park to 60,000 seats, using a combination of permanent and temporary seating.
"This new proposal exceeds that commitment. The temporary seating we propose to build over the Panasonic Stand and the Eastern Terraces will be a vast improvement on the quality of seating currently in place and it will also enhance the venue's visual appeal through creating a bowl effect," Trevor Mallard said.
"The upgrade design also has the potential for a seating capacity greater than 60,000 through temporary seating behind the West Stand, should Rugby New Zealand (RNZ) 2011 Ltd agree that there is a positive business case for this to happen.
"The proposed temporary seating above the new South Stand also provides more prime viewing seats than was proposed in the original bid."
Trevor Mallard said the proposed upgrade provided a legacy for Auckland as it created a permanent capacity of around 50,000 seats at Eden Park, and involved a new South Stand that would include new corporate boxes, media and players' facilities.
"The estimated $175 million to $190 million cost of the upgrade is also in line with the fact that Eden Park is a regional stadium and that its use post-tournament is limited by resource consent conditions and its location in a residential neighbourhood."
The temporary seating will require resource consent approval but given it is for a specific one-off event over a relatively short period of time, the necessary consents should not be problematic. The new South Stand will be designed to fit within the current building envelope, particularly the 30-metre height restriction.
"The Eden Park Trust Board has asked us to also explore whether the temporary seating over the Panasonic Stand and Eastern terraces could be permanent. We've undertaken to investigate this on the basis that building permanent seats here would be at no cost to central, local government and RNZ 2011 Ltd, and that there is no reduction in seat numbers," Trevor Mallard said.
The Cabinet decision is based on the advice of a technical working group of experts which included Swiss temporary seating specialists Nussli International Ltd, and the London office of HOK Sport Architecture, one of the world's leading stadium designers.
For the powerpoint presentation and pictures go to www.med.govt.nz/rwc/eden-park/