February 15, 2026 • 20 mins
Eden Park’s gearing up for more gigs, more goals, and more growth.
The number of concerts allowed each year at Auckland’s Eden Park stadium will almost triple under new rules announced today by the Government.
Under the new settings, the stadium will be allowed to host up to 12 large and 20 medium-sized concerts a year - without the need for resource consent.
We’ll speak to Sir Graham Lowe about the first Eden Park hosting the New Zealand's first-ever State of Origin match next year. But first on The Front Page, former Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is with us to chat about the wider changes to the stadium, and whether its neighbours will mind.
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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Kyota.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a
daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. Eden Parks
gearing up for more gigs, more goals and more growth.
The number of concerts allowed each year at Auckland's eden
Park Stadium will almost triple under new rules announced today
(00:30):
by the government. Under the new settings, the stadium will
be allowed to host up to twelve large and twenty
medium sized concerts a year without the need for resource consent.
We'll speak to Sir Graham Lowe about eden Park hosting
New Zealand's first ever State of Origin match next year.
(00:51):
But first on the Front Page, Former Auckland Mayor Phil
Goff is with us to chat about the wider changes
to the stadium and whether it's neighbors or mind. First off, Phil,
what was your first reaction to this news.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Oh, look, I think it's great that we've got the
State of Origin coming a year. This is the first
time I think in forty years of the State of
Origin that it's been held outside of Australia. And I
don't always watch it because sometimes it's not on at
a convenient time of the day, but they are fierce competitions,
and I think it'll be really popular with the New
Zealand audience. It'll also be good economically for the city.
(01:29):
It'll bring their estimating maybe ten thousand people across from
Australia to watch the game, and that's maybe something like
seventeen million dollars worth of expenditure into the local economy.
So I think there's a lot to celebrate there.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
And what about all the concerts though, Phil like had
the battle over concerts at Eden Park. Had that been
brewing while you were Auckland met Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Look, I think it was a process. At one point
in time, the local residents Association in Mount Eden was
fiercely again any extension of the hours that the stadium
could be open. But I think over time the mood
has changed. I had a chief of staff at one
point that was living just across the road from Eden Park,
and I asked him how he felt about it, and
(02:13):
he said, oh, look, you know, we moved into this
flat because we knew, you know, we knew it was
near Eden Park. Yeah, it's lively. It doesn't worry as
too much traffic can be a bit of a hassle,
but if you live here you know, that's what you're
going to expect. You know, we did extend the number
of concerts that could be held. I think we were
able to hold up to about twelve. The current proposal
is to nearly treble that. But I'm just wondering whether
(02:35):
they will actually achieve thirty two concerts a year at
eden Park. And if they do, of course, some of
that might be just zero sum game. You know, it'll
be concerts that might otherwise have been held at Mount
Smart or Western Springs, so that won't necessarily be a
net increase in the number of concerts. But for eden Park,
which is not owned by the council, it's owned by
(02:56):
a trust that will enable it to make more money.
That means that they won't come cap in hand to
Council asking for rate payer subsidies as they have done
in the past. And maybe they can start repaying, you know,
the forty million dollars in debt that they owe the
Auckland Council for the time in which Eden Park was
renovated to cater for the Rugby World Cup. So from
(03:17):
a rate point of view, I think it's also a positive.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
It sounds like you've still got that b and your bonnet. Phil.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Look, you know, I understand there'll be people that won't
be in favor of this. And you know, when I've
gone to rugby matches at eden Park, you park. I
usually park somewhere down Dominion Road and do the long walk.
My own personal preference was, of course, to have a
new stadium and to have it more to what's the
center of town, downtown, perhaps around where the old railway
(03:47):
station is. And the reason for that is that all
of the transport converges in that area. The motorway, the fairies,
the trains, the buses. Pre match and postmatch are downtown.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
The one thing we didn't have was the money to
build that stadium. You know, there were particular suggestions that
a stadium could be built. In the meantime, we've got
Eden Park, and while we've got eden Park, let's make
the most of it. Let's enable the trust that owns
eden Park too, you know, sufficient instead of reliant on
the rate payer.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Do you reckon there's enough interest from overseas acts to
actually book Eden Park or are we just going to
end up with a twenty more six sexty concerts.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Well that wouldn't be a bad thing six sexs. He
is pretty good. Look, they will come athot economic to
come and with a bigger stadium than something that will
encourage them as an additional fact, But yeah, they'll be
looking at the bottom line. I've been to all sorts
of concerts at Mount Smart, you know Elton John and
(04:54):
Adele and Fleetwood Mac, and the atmosphere there has been fantastic.
You've fit a lot of people eleven they were probably
pretty happy with Mount Smart and my guess is that
Mount Smart would be a bit cheaper to higher. That
is the case with eden Park. Eden Park can be
quite expensive and some of the people that will have
sporting competitions there have remarked that they haven't gone there
(05:15):
because of the cost. So that's something that the people
that are running eden Park, the trust board and the
manager Nick Saortner, have got a look at and find
out the best way to make a reasonable income out
of it while not detering groups because of the cost.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Well. I see. One of the changes though, is that
nighttime sport will be allowed on any day as long
as the game's finished by ten thirty PM. Now, I
don't know what your bedtime is feel, but mine is
well before ten thirty And if I lived next to
Eden Park and was kept awake until ten thirty eleven
on a Tuesday, I wouldn't be to come happy about it.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah. No, and there will be people that won't be
happy about that. You know the fact that the games
can now be held on a Sunday, it's on a
Saturday night. You've got Sunday off. Generally it's on a
Sunday night. You might have to get up early to
go to work. That's why I say this isn't something
that everybody will welcome, but I think the majority of people,
even maybe the majority of people in the neighborhood, will feel.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Okay with Well, hopefully we can go to a Taylor
Swift concert or something next time she comes around. She
won't mess us out.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah yeah, we have missed out on some of those things.
And with Auckland, you know, if you're going to have
an international concert here, Auckland is the place where it
will be because it's a third of the country's population.
That also means other people coming up from other parts
of New Zealand. So good for the hotel industry. And
if the government ever allows the council to put a
bed tax in place, you know, that will be a
(06:44):
bit of an income earner for the council as well.
I tried with both national and labor to get a
bed tax, didn't succeed. We put in a rating tax
that was taken to the Supreme Court. We finally won there.
But the current council isn't used for that provision. A
bad TAXI by much simpler, and I hope the government
that seems to want to tell counsel to do everything
(07:06):
when they can do it, how high they should jump, etc.
Even this decision, actually, the fact that it's being taken
by central government rather than Auckland Council itself is a
bit of a reflection on the controlling element, the centralization
of central government at the current time. I think, you know,
maybe council could have moved on it earlier. They could
have moved on it, I think with persuasion. But to
(07:27):
have the government interve something as small as how often
you can have concerts at a local stadium seems to
me overreached by central government when local government can and
should make those decisions itself. But local government does have
to answer the question that they could have moved a
(07:48):
bit more quickly on it and that's a fair criticism.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Thanks for joining us, Phil.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Thanks Chelsea. It's a pleasure, no problem at all.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Hosting State of Origin is expected to attract over ten
thousand of our Aussie neighbors, generate more than fifty thousand
international visitor knights, and inject an estimated seventeen point four
million dollars into the local economy. We speak to Sir
Graham Lowe about why Kiwis should get behind the game.
(08:25):
First off, Sir Graham, what does this mean for New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
History will be the judge and I think it's going
to judge it really favorably because State of Origin, the
concept of state of Origin is really one of the
most successful brands in the sporting world. It's got proven
success since nineteen eighty. It attracts an audience that is
(08:50):
now global in many ways. I mean, if you are
fortunate enough to go along to an Origin game over
in Australia, you know you would have experienced the just
the excitement that is very unusual and what it means
when it comes over here in New Zealand. There's something
really special because this is a rugby union country, this
is a rugby union country, but there are a few
(09:12):
of us. I'm one of them who've been rugby league
since we were five years old and maybe even longer.
And those people always look to Australia and have wondered,
you know, I wonder what it's like over there, and
then they've seen this State of Origin come along and
they've thought, Wow, how fantastic is that. Well, I'm the
(09:34):
only one really from this country that has actually been
in the engine room as a coach of Weenesday and
back in ninety one and ninety two, and what I
experienced in those times I can't put really put into
words Chelsea, because it's just it's galvanized into my soul.
How exciting, how privileged I felt as a key week
(09:56):
to be invited into that, into that cauldron, and it's
it's just fantastic. I was fortunate I coached North and
Brisbane in nineteen eighty and when the first State of
Origin game came along in nineteen eight or nineteen eighty,
I remember taking all my team along. We all went
along to have a look at this game, and at
(10:18):
that particular stage, basically no one's the south of the
border believed it would be a success and Arthur beat
the Arthur beats on the lead side. Nineteen eighty Queensland
Side just really laid the foundation for what was going
to become what it is now the greatest sporting event
on the planet. I believe.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
You got to say that, don't you, Sir Graham call
me lowly Helloe right well, Lowe, You're not only the
only kei We coach that's been involved, but I believe
the only other only coach not to have been in
Queensland or New South Wales. Now this has got to
bring back some pretty big emotions for you.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
Surely it is. I think you know that. I can
still remember vividly I was coaching. I was actually coaching
mainly in Sydney. This is in late nineteen ninety and
I got a call from one of the board members
from the QRL, from the Queensland Rugby League, who invited
me to come up and have a meeting with him
and talk about being the coach for nineteen ninety one.
(11:22):
And I just, I mean, I just the excitement and
pride and thrill of it all. It is impossible to
put into words, but it was a you know, I've
spoken about it to a lot of people over the years,
and the excitement just never goes away, even now. I'm
eighty years old this year and it's just, you know,
(11:43):
I feel like it was yesterday. And the worrying thing
is Chelsea, I think I could still go out and
do it. That's still really work.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Well, you hid it up already, you could. Well. My
first reaction was I'm South Australian, so all we care
about down south is AFL of course you know that,
but even I have heard about the State of Origin. Hey,
and the vibe even of a League game versus a
Union game when you're actually there, does seem a bit
(12:12):
more electric, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
It does, and it's I think it's because there's a
lot of a lot more, a lot more confrontational, and
it's it's easy. It's it's tribalism at its absolute best.
And I think what you're going to see when the
State of Origin comes to Auckland, I'm tipping that there
will be it'll be like a Queensland home crowd because
(12:36):
obviously there's a lot of New South Wild supporters here
and I'd advise them to get gate into Wallis now
and get their boxes. The tissues ready because they're going
to need them, so get it, get in, get in
there early. But because I think it's going to be
a Queensland pro Queensland crowd, and it's going to be
it's going to be fantastic. I mean, Eden Park has
delivered a lot of excitement, you know, and it's in
(12:58):
its long history, but nothing will be any more exciting
than what the state of origin will be. It'll be
something different.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Well, what you're telling me is that I've got to
get my Maron's gear out for for next.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Year for you, Chelsea, and I hope you hope you
Maroon's lady. I know you're from an area of ping Pong,
but this is proper.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Forty Well, look I've got to be a devil's advocate here, Lowie.
Critics will say, you know this is spending big money
on one night. How do you answer people who do
who will question the government and local government spending on
this big.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Night, And it's a fair enough question as well, but
it's I mean, you have to spend money to make
money at times. And what this will generate, you know,
it will be. It's not it doesn't come along in
a simple package. This will be widespread and far reaching
as well. It could change the trend of of how
(13:55):
we see sport here, you know, it could. It could
help the for another NRL team into the n r
L from christ Church. It could, it could evolve into
And I've got it. I've had a concept in my
mind for quite a quite a long time. Now that
I've spoken with the Australian League about it, or the
(14:15):
Australia League as it was then, and the n r
L about and the government about I think New Zealand
can come up with its own concept. I'll let you
be the first journalist I've ever said anything to or
what it's called. We called it roots. So where you
where your initial routes were, you know where you where
you where you felt you could be the South Island
(14:37):
or it could be the North Island, but wherever the
wherever you were initial roots came from because we can't
be called state of origin. There's no states there obviously,
but but there's still there's still enough player power and
there's still enough energy and excitement to bring along New
Zealand's own version of it. So you never know what's
going to happen in the future. And this is this
(14:58):
is a far bigger thing than the game of footage.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
So it could be like the roots around where all
of the key we players who are playing over there
can come and you know to have a crack maybe
North versus South or something.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah, that's what I say. No, it's it's very it's
hard to come up with a concept of of you know,
what what the eligibility would be. But so we just
came up with this, this this concept called roots. You know, wherever,
wherever your initial family roots came from. That can be.
(15:32):
That's one way of There's there's other eligibility methods as well,
but that was just one to be simple.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
We are super excited to be hosting State of Origin
here in New Zealand. For many of us kids like me,
we grew up in the eighties and nineties watching some
absolutely fantastic battles. We remember those heroes even today, of
those great players that we got to watch on TV
and Mom and Dare would let us stay up late
and watch it and it was absolutely fantastic. So we
are very excited in securing a game like this here
(16:09):
is very significant moment for rugby league in New Zealand.
It's going to inspire our young players and it's going
to help to grow the game nationally.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Well, I mean this, this could do things for the
sport in New Zealand. I mean we've just had the
up the wires phenomenon over here. Obviously, could origin in
Auckland inspire that next generation of kei we league talent?
Do you think?
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Well, there's no doubt about that. I mean, the Warriors
have done the wis. You know, they've They've done an
incredible thing, not only for rugby league, but I think
for the psych of sport in this country. You've only
got to look at the crowds. I mean, rugby union
is the national game, you know, that's that's how that's
our national game. Even though I'm a rugby league person,
(16:59):
but there's there's three or four blokes and a few
flies at most of the games. Now there's there's no one,
no one watching it because and I'm not being disrespectful
to rugby union, but it is it's a different spectacle
and the NRL has taken things to another level and
led in this country by the Warriors, who I think
are doing a fantastic marketing job. You know, they're not
(17:22):
far away from being the premiers and they've done a
fantastic job. And they've taken the general sic of sport
in this country and the expectations of sport in this
country to another level. They've done a fantastic job.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
So what would you say to someone arming and a ring.
We don't really know Queensland, we don't really know New
South Wales. All we know is the wars. Should we
even go, should we even show up? How would you
get them across the line?
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Well, just just just back Queensland, just get don't be
subtle about it. I mean, you've got to. I always
remember when I when I first went to Australia, my
first president of I cotched norths and Brisbane and I
always remember having a beer with us bloke one day
and I said to him, and the heck's is going on?
(18:09):
He said, You've got to remember, remember Lowie over here,
it's only a root if you're not in it. And
I was that sort of stuck him all the time there,
that sort of thinking the OSSes have And I think
we've got to be a be a bit brash and
we're here in New Zealand, we're a little bit precious
at times. We are a little bit precious and we
and that's like rugby union they clap like that, you know.
(18:32):
Just that's exactly how the games.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Because Dad would come back from a footy game and
not have a voice because it'd be yelling at the umpire.
At the umpire could hear him. And I came to
a game here and I was like, why isn't everyone yelling?
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Well, you know, and I think if you watch a
Warriors game, you'll see the excitement that's in the in
the crowd at the Warriors games because you know, they
play a brand of footy that's that's full of excit,
and you know there's there's a lot of hope there
for them, and you know that they're they're going fantastic.
And I think that the psyche and the hype and
(19:10):
expectation of of of sport in general, I think it
has been led on on a new journey with with
the Warriors and it's I think it's just fantastic. And
now to get the crown in I mean the duel
and the crown of Australian sport, you know, it's just
it's just a big two for this for this Auckland,
(19:33):
for our city here in Auckland and it's a fantastic
job done by I think by the government and the
Auckland Council. It's got it all together.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Thanks for joining us, Lowly, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Very much, and I'm sorry if I called you a
game aerial ping pong, but but what else can you
call it?
Speaker 2 (19:51):
I'll tell Dad not to watch this episode, thanks very much. Else,
that's it for this episode the Front Page. You can
read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at
enzidherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is hosted
and produced by me Chelsea Daniels. Caine Dickie is our
(20:13):
studio operator, Richard Martin, our producer and editor, and our
executive producer is Jane Ye. Follow the Front Page on
the iheartapp or wherever you get your podcasts, and join
us next time for another look beyond the headlines.
Kyota.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a
daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. Eden Parks
gearing up for more gigs, more goals and more growth.
The number of concerts allowed each year at Auckland's eden
Park Stadium will almost triple under new rules announced today
(00:30):
by the government. Under the new settings, the stadium will
be allowed to host up to twelve large and twenty
medium sized concerts a year without the need for resource consent.
We'll speak to Sir Graham Lowe about eden Park hosting
New Zealand's first ever State of Origin match next year.
(00:51):
But first on the Front Page, Former Auckland Mayor Phil
Goff is with us to chat about the wider changes
to the stadium and whether it's neighbors or mind. First off, Phil,
what was your first reaction to this news.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Oh, look, I think it's great that we've got the
State of Origin coming a year. This is the first
time I think in forty years of the State of
Origin that it's been held outside of Australia. And I
don't always watch it because sometimes it's not on at
a convenient time of the day, but they are fierce competitions,
and I think it'll be really popular with the New
Zealand audience. It'll also be good economically for the city.
(01:29):
It'll bring their estimating maybe ten thousand people across from
Australia to watch the game, and that's maybe something like
seventeen million dollars worth of expenditure into the local economy.
So I think there's a lot to celebrate there.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
And what about all the concerts though, Phil like had
the battle over concerts at Eden Park. Had that been
brewing while you were Auckland met Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Look, I think it was a process. At one point
in time, the local residents Association in Mount Eden was
fiercely again any extension of the hours that the stadium
could be open. But I think over time the mood
has changed. I had a chief of staff at one
point that was living just across the road from Eden Park,
and I asked him how he felt about it, and
(02:13):
he said, oh, look, you know, we moved into this
flat because we knew, you know, we knew it was
near Eden Park. Yeah, it's lively. It doesn't worry as
too much traffic can be a bit of a hassle,
but if you live here you know, that's what you're
going to expect. You know, we did extend the number
of concerts that could be held. I think we were
able to hold up to about twelve. The current proposal
is to nearly treble that. But I'm just wondering whether
(02:35):
they will actually achieve thirty two concerts a year at
eden Park. And if they do, of course, some of
that might be just zero sum game. You know, it'll
be concerts that might otherwise have been held at Mount
Smart or Western Springs, so that won't necessarily be a
net increase in the number of concerts. But for eden Park,
which is not owned by the council, it's owned by
(02:56):
a trust that will enable it to make more money.
That means that they won't come cap in hand to
Council asking for rate payer subsidies as they have done
in the past. And maybe they can start repaying, you know,
the forty million dollars in debt that they owe the
Auckland Council for the time in which Eden Park was
renovated to cater for the Rugby World Cup. So from
(03:17):
a rate point of view, I think it's also a positive.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
It sounds like you've still got that b and your bonnet. Phil.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Look, you know, I understand there'll be people that won't
be in favor of this. And you know, when I've
gone to rugby matches at eden Park, you park. I
usually park somewhere down Dominion Road and do the long walk.
My own personal preference was, of course, to have a
new stadium and to have it more to what's the
center of town, downtown, perhaps around where the old railway
(03:47):
station is. And the reason for that is that all
of the transport converges in that area. The motorway, the fairies,
the trains, the buses. Pre match and postmatch are downtown.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
The one thing we didn't have was the money to
build that stadium. You know, there were particular suggestions that
a stadium could be built. In the meantime, we've got
Eden Park, and while we've got eden Park, let's make
the most of it. Let's enable the trust that owns
eden Park too, you know, sufficient instead of reliant on
the rate payer.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Do you reckon there's enough interest from overseas acts to
actually book Eden Park or are we just going to
end up with a twenty more six sexty concerts.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Well that wouldn't be a bad thing six sexs. He
is pretty good. Look, they will come athot economic to
come and with a bigger stadium than something that will
encourage them as an additional fact, But yeah, they'll be
looking at the bottom line. I've been to all sorts
of concerts at Mount Smart, you know Elton John and
(04:54):
Adele and Fleetwood Mac, and the atmosphere there has been fantastic.
You've fit a lot of people eleven they were probably
pretty happy with Mount Smart and my guess is that
Mount Smart would be a bit cheaper to higher. That
is the case with eden Park. Eden Park can be
quite expensive and some of the people that will have
sporting competitions there have remarked that they haven't gone there
(05:15):
because of the cost. So that's something that the people
that are running eden Park, the trust board and the
manager Nick Saortner, have got a look at and find
out the best way to make a reasonable income out
of it while not detering groups because of the cost.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Well. I see. One of the changes though, is that
nighttime sport will be allowed on any day as long
as the game's finished by ten thirty PM. Now, I
don't know what your bedtime is feel, but mine is
well before ten thirty And if I lived next to
Eden Park and was kept awake until ten thirty eleven
on a Tuesday, I wouldn't be to come happy about it.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah. No, and there will be people that won't be
happy about that. You know the fact that the games
can now be held on a Sunday, it's on a
Saturday night. You've got Sunday off. Generally it's on a
Sunday night. You might have to get up early to
go to work. That's why I say this isn't something
that everybody will welcome, but I think the majority of people,
even maybe the majority of people in the neighborhood, will feel.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Okay with Well, hopefully we can go to a Taylor
Swift concert or something next time she comes around. She
won't mess us out.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah yeah, we have missed out on some of those things.
And with Auckland, you know, if you're going to have
an international concert here, Auckland is the place where it
will be because it's a third of the country's population.
That also means other people coming up from other parts
of New Zealand. So good for the hotel industry. And
if the government ever allows the council to put a
bed tax in place, you know, that will be a
(06:44):
bit of an income earner for the council as well.
I tried with both national and labor to get a
bed tax, didn't succeed. We put in a rating tax
that was taken to the Supreme Court. We finally won there.
But the current council isn't used for that provision. A
bad TAXI by much simpler, and I hope the government
that seems to want to tell counsel to do everything
(07:06):
when they can do it, how high they should jump, etc.
Even this decision, actually, the fact that it's being taken
by central government rather than Auckland Council itself is a
bit of a reflection on the controlling element, the centralization
of central government at the current time. I think, you know,
maybe council could have moved on it earlier. They could
have moved on it, I think with persuasion. But to
(07:27):
have the government interve something as small as how often
you can have concerts at a local stadium seems to
me overreached by central government when local government can and
should make those decisions itself. But local government does have
to answer the question that they could have moved a
(07:48):
bit more quickly on it and that's a fair criticism.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Thanks for joining us, Phil.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Thanks Chelsea. It's a pleasure, no problem at all.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Hosting State of Origin is expected to attract over ten
thousand of our Aussie neighbors, generate more than fifty thousand
international visitor knights, and inject an estimated seventeen point four
million dollars into the local economy. We speak to Sir
Graham Lowe about why Kiwis should get behind the game.
(08:25):
First off, Sir Graham, what does this mean for New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
History will be the judge and I think it's going
to judge it really favorably because State of Origin, the
concept of state of Origin is really one of the
most successful brands in the sporting world. It's got proven
success since nineteen eighty. It attracts an audience that is
(08:50):
now global in many ways. I mean, if you are
fortunate enough to go along to an Origin game over
in Australia, you know you would have experienced the just
the excitement that is very unusual and what it means
when it comes over here in New Zealand. There's something
really special because this is a rugby union country, this
is a rugby union country, but there are a few
(09:12):
of us. I'm one of them who've been rugby league
since we were five years old and maybe even longer.
And those people always look to Australia and have wondered,
you know, I wonder what it's like over there, and
then they've seen this State of Origin come along and
they've thought, Wow, how fantastic is that. Well, I'm the
(09:34):
only one really from this country that has actually been
in the engine room as a coach of Weenesday and
back in ninety one and ninety two, and what I
experienced in those times I can't put really put into
words Chelsea, because it's just it's galvanized into my soul.
How exciting, how privileged I felt as a key week
(09:56):
to be invited into that, into that cauldron, and it's
it's just fantastic. I was fortunate I coached North and
Brisbane in nineteen eighty and when the first State of
Origin game came along in nineteen eight or nineteen eighty,
I remember taking all my team along. We all went
along to have a look at this game, and at
(10:18):
that particular stage, basically no one's the south of the
border believed it would be a success and Arthur beat
the Arthur beats on the lead side. Nineteen eighty Queensland
Side just really laid the foundation for what was going
to become what it is now the greatest sporting event
on the planet. I believe.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
You got to say that, don't you, Sir Graham call
me lowly Helloe right well, Lowe, You're not only the
only kei We coach that's been involved, but I believe
the only other only coach not to have been in
Queensland or New South Wales. Now this has got to
bring back some pretty big emotions for you.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
Surely it is. I think you know that. I can
still remember vividly I was coaching. I was actually coaching
mainly in Sydney. This is in late nineteen ninety and
I got a call from one of the board members
from the QRL, from the Queensland Rugby League, who invited
me to come up and have a meeting with him
and talk about being the coach for nineteen ninety one.
(11:22):
And I just, I mean, I just the excitement and
pride and thrill of it all. It is impossible to
put into words, but it was a you know, I've
spoken about it to a lot of people over the years,
and the excitement just never goes away, even now. I'm
eighty years old this year and it's just, you know,
(11:43):
I feel like it was yesterday. And the worrying thing
is Chelsea, I think I could still go out and
do it. That's still really work.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Well, you hid it up already, you could. Well. My
first reaction was I'm South Australian, so all we care
about down south is AFL of course you know that,
but even I have heard about the State of Origin. Hey,
and the vibe even of a League game versus a
Union game when you're actually there, does seem a bit
(12:12):
more electric, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
It does, and it's I think it's because there's a
lot of a lot more, a lot more confrontational, and
it's it's easy. It's it's tribalism at its absolute best.
And I think what you're going to see when the
State of Origin comes to Auckland, I'm tipping that there
will be it'll be like a Queensland home crowd because
(12:36):
obviously there's a lot of New South Wild supporters here
and I'd advise them to get gate into Wallis now
and get their boxes. The tissues ready because they're going
to need them, so get it, get in, get in
there early. But because I think it's going to be
a Queensland pro Queensland crowd, and it's going to be
it's going to be fantastic. I mean, Eden Park has
delivered a lot of excitement, you know, and it's in
(12:58):
its long history, but nothing will be any more exciting
than what the state of origin will be. It'll be
something different.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Well, what you're telling me is that I've got to
get my Maron's gear out for for next.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Year for you, Chelsea, and I hope you hope you
Maroon's lady. I know you're from an area of ping Pong,
but this is proper.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Forty Well, look I've got to be a devil's advocate here, Lowie.
Critics will say, you know this is spending big money
on one night. How do you answer people who do
who will question the government and local government spending on
this big.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Night, And it's a fair enough question as well, but
it's I mean, you have to spend money to make
money at times. And what this will generate, you know,
it will be. It's not it doesn't come along in
a simple package. This will be widespread and far reaching
as well. It could change the trend of of how
(13:55):
we see sport here, you know, it could. It could
help the for another NRL team into the n r
L from christ Church. It could, it could evolve into
And I've got it. I've had a concept in my
mind for quite a quite a long time. Now that
I've spoken with the Australian League about it, or the
(14:15):
Australia League as it was then, and the n r
L about and the government about I think New Zealand
can come up with its own concept. I'll let you
be the first journalist I've ever said anything to or
what it's called. We called it roots. So where you
where your initial routes were, you know where you where
you where you felt you could be the South Island
(14:37):
or it could be the North Island, but wherever the
wherever you were initial roots came from because we can't
be called state of origin. There's no states there obviously,
but but there's still there's still enough player power and
there's still enough energy and excitement to bring along New
Zealand's own version of it. So you never know what's
going to happen in the future. And this is this
(14:58):
is a far bigger thing than the game of footage.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
So it could be like the roots around where all
of the key we players who are playing over there
can come and you know to have a crack maybe
North versus South or something.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah, that's what I say. No, it's it's very it's
hard to come up with a concept of of you know,
what what the eligibility would be. But so we just
came up with this, this this concept called roots. You know, wherever,
wherever your initial family roots came from. That can be.
(15:32):
That's one way of There's there's other eligibility methods as well,
but that was just one to be simple.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
We are super excited to be hosting State of Origin
here in New Zealand. For many of us kids like me,
we grew up in the eighties and nineties watching some
absolutely fantastic battles. We remember those heroes even today, of
those great players that we got to watch on TV
and Mom and Dare would let us stay up late
and watch it and it was absolutely fantastic. So we
are very excited in securing a game like this here
(16:09):
is very significant moment for rugby league in New Zealand.
It's going to inspire our young players and it's going
to help to grow the game nationally.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Well, I mean this, this could do things for the
sport in New Zealand. I mean we've just had the
up the wires phenomenon over here. Obviously, could origin in
Auckland inspire that next generation of kei we league talent?
Do you think?
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Well, there's no doubt about that. I mean, the Warriors
have done the wis. You know, they've They've done an
incredible thing, not only for rugby league, but I think
for the psych of sport in this country. You've only
got to look at the crowds. I mean, rugby union
is the national game, you know, that's that's how that's
our national game. Even though I'm a rugby league person,
(16:59):
but there's there's three or four blokes and a few
flies at most of the games. Now there's there's no one,
no one watching it because and I'm not being disrespectful
to rugby union, but it is it's a different spectacle
and the NRL has taken things to another level and
led in this country by the Warriors, who I think
are doing a fantastic marketing job. You know, they're not
(17:22):
far away from being the premiers and they've done a
fantastic job. And they've taken the general sic of sport
in this country and the expectations of sport in this
country to another level. They've done a fantastic job.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
So what would you say to someone arming and a ring.
We don't really know Queensland, we don't really know New
South Wales. All we know is the wars. Should we
even go, should we even show up? How would you
get them across the line?
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Well, just just just back Queensland, just get don't be
subtle about it. I mean, you've got to. I always
remember when I when I first went to Australia, my
first president of I cotched norths and Brisbane and I
always remember having a beer with us bloke one day
and I said to him, and the heck's is going on?
(18:09):
He said, You've got to remember, remember Lowie over here,
it's only a root if you're not in it. And
I was that sort of stuck him all the time there,
that sort of thinking the OSSes have And I think
we've got to be a be a bit brash and
we're here in New Zealand, we're a little bit precious
at times. We are a little bit precious and we
and that's like rugby union they clap like that, you know.
(18:32):
Just that's exactly how the games.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Because Dad would come back from a footy game and
not have a voice because it'd be yelling at the umpire.
At the umpire could hear him. And I came to
a game here and I was like, why isn't everyone yelling?
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Well, you know, and I think if you watch a
Warriors game, you'll see the excitement that's in the in
the crowd at the Warriors games because you know, they
play a brand of footy that's that's full of excit,
and you know there's there's a lot of hope there
for them, and you know that they're they're going fantastic.
And I think that the psyche and the hype and
(19:10):
expectation of of of sport in general, I think it
has been led on on a new journey with with
the Warriors and it's I think it's just fantastic. And
now to get the crown in I mean the duel
and the crown of Australian sport, you know, it's just
it's just a big two for this for this Auckland,
(19:33):
for our city here in Auckland and it's a fantastic
job done by I think by the government and the
Auckland Council. It's got it all together.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Thanks for joining us, Lowly, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Very much, and I'm sorry if I called you a
game aerial ping pong, but but what else can you
call it?
Speaker 2 (19:51):
I'll tell Dad not to watch this episode, thanks very much. Else,
that's it for this episode the Front Page. You can
read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at
enzidherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is hosted
and produced by me Chelsea Daniels. Caine Dickie is our
(20:13):
studio operator, Richard Martin, our producer and editor, and our
executive producer is Jane Ye. Follow the Front Page on
the iheartapp or wherever you get your podcasts, and join
us next time for another look beyond the headlines.
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