John MacDonald: Here's how to get big events to NZ

The Prime Minister has lived up to his talk of being a great negotiator, saying “thanks but no thanks” to Team New Zealand.   

Because a great negotiator is always prepared to walk away if the negotiations aren’t going their way, and that’s what the Government has done. Telling Grant Dalton and Team NZ that putting $75 million of taxpayer money into hosting the next America’s Cup would be a nice-to-have, not a must-have.  

I think the Government has done the right thing and the wrong thing.  

It’s done the wrong thing because no one can argue that the economic spinoff from hosting something like the America's Cup is huge.   

Everyone’s talking about Barcelona getting truckloads out of hosting the event. Although, they did have the option of hosting it again but decided not to. So maybe the benefits are being talked up a bit.  

But either way, there are economic benefits that come from hosting something like the America's Cup and, because of that, the Government’s done the wrong thing turning its back on it  

But my overriding feeling is that it’s done the right thing because we just can’t afford it.  

Whether we will ever be able to afford it, who knows? But it highlights how we really need to get our act together when it comes to attracting big events here.  

And we won’t do that, unless we all stop competing with each other.  

When I say “we”, I’m talking about Christchurch and Wellington and Auckland and Dunedin. Everywhere. 

At the moment, all cities and towns compete with each other to get big events. In Christchurch, when the stadium is open, we’ll be trying to get concerts away from Dunedin and get them happening here instead.  

At the moment, we have ChristchurchNZ in Christchurch, DunedinNZ in Dunedin, WellingtonNZ in Wellington, and Auckland Unlimited in Auckland, all doing the same thing —not to mention all the other agencies around the country— all fighting it out to get events to their areas.  

And I think this is crazy. Because what’s happening is we have all these different agencies taking a very parochial view of the world.  

ChristchurchNZ, for example, only goes into bat for Christchurch - or Canterbury. When what all of these agencies should doing is working together on a joint approach.  

Not only because it would mean they weren’t all chasing the same thing, it would also mean more money to spend on getting these events here. And it’s not just money to get events here, it’s money for facilities too. And the parochial ideas blinding our thinking on that.  

Perfect example being the stadium saga in Auckland and the council deciding last week to redevelop Eden Park instead of building something new on the waterfront. They’re still wanting more than $100 million from the Government for Eden Park, when we already have stadiums coming out of our ears in New Zealand.  

There’s Dunedin stadium - with a roof. The new Christchurch stadium - with a roof. The Cake Tin, in Wellington. And Eden Park.  

And the only reason money is being poured into Eden Park is parochialism. Just like Christchurch wanted a 30,000 seat stadium because of parochialism.  

And if the country keeps going like this, we’ll never have the money to get big events here. We’ll have the stadiums - but there’ll be nothing happening inside them.  

Which is why we need to take the job of chasing these big events away from all these regional agencies and have one central agency deciding what events we’re going to go for and where they’re going to be held.  

Because what’s good for Christchurch is good for Auckland. And what’s good for Dunedin is good for Wellington.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talks THE'DB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Maybe the Prime Minister has lived up to us talk
of being a great negotiator, saying thanks but no thanks
to Team New Zealand because a great negotiator, what makes
a negotiator great is that they are always prepared to
walk away if the negotiations aren't going their way, and
that's what the government's done, telling Grant Dalton and Team

(00:35):
New Zealand that putting seventy five million dollars of tax
payer money into the America's Cup would be a nice
to have, not a must have. And if you ask me,
I think the government has done the right thing and
the wrong thing, some the wrong thing because no one
can argue that the economic spin off from hosting something

(00:56):
like the America's Cup is huge. I mean, everybody's talking
about Barcelona getting more than a billion dollars out of
hosting the event. They did have the option of hosting
it again but decided not to, so maybe the benefits
of being talked up a but Nicola Willis certainly didn't
swallow them, so to speak. But either way, there are

(01:17):
economic benefits that come from hosting something like the America's
Cup and because of that, the government's done the wrong
thing turning its back on it. But my overriding feeling
is that it's done the right thing because we just
can't afford it. Whether we will ever be able to
afford it, who knows. But it highlights, doesn't it, how

(01:38):
we really need to get our act together when it
comes to attracting big events here. And we won't do
that unless we all stop competing with each other. Now,
when I say we, I'm talking about christ Church and
Wellington and Auckland and Toleden everywhere, because at the moment
all cities and towns compete with each other to get

(02:00):
big events in christ Church. Here in christ Church when
the stadium is open, we'll be trying to get cold
it's away from Dunedin and get them happening here instead.
And that's just one example, but it's what Chris Simpson
from the Major Events Group was talking to Mike talking
to Mike about earlier this morning.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
At the end of the day, we're a tiny country,
so we need to work together on the world stage
to really go after events that we think are really
good for the country. But really, you know, we all
have the same strategy in mind and what we're going
after and what's relevant to New Zealand and what reinforces
our brand fillers and all that sort of stuff. So
I think, you know, we do need to sort of

(02:40):
hunt as a pack. We're not going to get it,
you know, if the government's not into something in the
city is and then of course we've got the challenge
of regional dispersal because outside of a couple of cities,
there's very little major events funding sitting in some of
the smaller regions.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's spot on. He is spot on because at the
moment we have christ Church in z and Christ Church
Dunedin in z In Dunedin, Wellington in z in Wellington
and Auckland Unlimited in Auckland all doing the same thing.
Not to mention all the other agencies around the country
as well, all fighting it out to get events to

(03:18):
their areas, which I think is crazy because what's happening
is we have all these different agencies taking a very
parochial view of the world. Christ churchen Z, for example,
only goes into bat for christ Church or Canterbury when
what it should be doing, and this is not just
christ Church, chen Z, all of them. What they should
all be doing is working together on a joint plan,

(03:40):
a joint approach, not only because it would mean they
weren't all chasing the same thing, it would also mean
more money to spend on getting these events here. And
it's not just money to get events here, it's money
for facilities too, and the parochial ideas blinding our thinking
on that as well. Perfect example, perfect example, the stadium

(04:00):
saga in Auckland and the council up there deciding last
week to redevelop Eden Park instead of bill something new
on the waterfront, they're still wanting more than a hundred
million bucks from the government for Eton Park when we
already have stadiums coming out of our ears in New Zealand.
It's do an Eden Stadium or the roof the new

(04:21):
christ Church Stadium with the roof the Cake ten and
Wellington and Eden Park. And the only reason money's been
poured into Eton Park it's parochialism. Auckland thinks it deserves
a Flasher stadium because because it deserves a Flasher stadium parochialism,

(04:41):
just like we wanted a thirty thousand seat stadium here
because of parochialism, and if the country keeps going like this,
we will never have the money to get big events here.
We'll have the stadiums, yeah, we'll have the stadiums, but
there'll be nothing happening inside them. So what I think
we need to do is we need to take the
job of chasing these big events away from all these

(05:01):
regional agencies, away from the likes of christ Church gen Z,
and have one central agency deciding what events are we
going to go for and where they're going to be held,
Because when it comes down to it, what's good for
christ Church's good for Auckland, and what's good for the
Need and it's good for Wellington and vice versa.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
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