John MacDonald: Temporary stand is a winner

I enjoyed the temporary seating set-up at One NZ Stadium on Saturday night so much, that I want to give it a name.

I’ll admit that, after being told by stadium boss Caroline Harvie-Teare that those of us in the temporary area would only have access to the internal hospitality and toilet facilities until 6pm, I had my doubts.

But I have to say, the experience was brilliant.

We were perched right on the try line and, like many other areas in the stadium, we were so close to the action.
The view was spectacular. Being at the south end of the stadium, we looked straight out to the rest of the crowd.

Granted, the weather was good and going outside to get a drink or go to the toilet wouldn’t have been much fun if it was raining.

But there were more than enough portaloos and topping-up our drinks was straightforward and relatively quick.

Well done too to NZS Group and everyone else involved in getting the seating in place.

I gather that, after 18 months of planning, engineering and building, they worked back-to-back shifts, handling 250 tonnes of equipment.

If anything, they did too good a job. Because stamping the feet wasn’t as effective as it was at Addington.

Nevertheless, even though it didn‘t sound like the old temporary set-up, all the scaffolding and strops certainly looked a bit like it.

Which is why I think stadium bosses should add a touch of nostalgia to the shiny new venue and name the 5,000 extra seats, when they’re needed, the Addington Stand.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk Z'B.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
I enjoyed the temporaries set up so much that I
want to give it a name. Now. I'll admit to
you that after being told by stadium boss Caroline Harvey
Tea on the show on Friday, she came in and
she told us to see one espresso, and she said
that those of us in the temporary area would only

(00:35):
have access to the internal hospitality and toilet facilities until
six o'clock on Saturday night. And when she told me
that after six, by the way, if you're in the
temporary seating, you had to go to the loo outside
the Portaloos and you had to go and get your
food from the food trucks outside the night market as
they called it. So when Caroline Harvey tear told me

(00:55):
that on Friday and I knew that we were going
to be in the temporary seats on Saturday night, I
had my doubts. But I have to say, hand on heart,
the experience and the temporary stand was brilliant. Perched right
on the tryline, one of the trylines at the South end,

(01:16):
and like so many other areas in the stadium. We
were so close to the action and the thing was
too The view was spectacular. I actually think that the
view from the temporary stadium was the best view in
the house. Not necessarily for what's going on at the pitch,
because when all the play was at the other end,

(01:40):
the screens were our friend. But the view was spectacular
from the south end of the stadium because we looked
straight out to the rest of the crowd. It was
like you had an idea of what it was like
being in the Foo Fighters and you're looking out there
and you can see the whole there's people all around you.
In fact, at one point a Mexican wave gone up

(02:01):
and running and would have to be the most convincing
Mexican wave I've seen at a New Zealand sportsman hag,
the Oval, the stadium, anywhere anywhere anywhere. Now. Granted, the
weather was pretty good on Saturday night, and going outside
to get a drink and going to the portaloos wouldn't
have been much fun if it was raining, but there

(02:23):
were more than enough portaloos, more than enough, and topping
up our drinks was straightforward and relatively quick. Didn't actually
try any of the food. I'm not quite sure why
didn't try any of the food, but the food trucks
were there doing the business. And I want to give
a shout out to to an outfit called n z

(02:43):
S Group and everyone else involved in getting the temporary
setting in place. I gather I saw a post they
made online. They worked back to back shifts and they
were They handled two hundred and fifty tons of equipment,
is what it was. And that was after eighteen months

(03:03):
of planning, engineering and building. If anything, they did too
good a job. Why is that? I'll tell you why.
Because stomping the feet wasn't as effective in the temporary
Standard one New Zealand stadium as it was at Addington.
And you're know what I'm talking about there, you know,
stamped the feet and just make that and make that

(03:24):
raw sound. We tried it out, but it was a
bit it was a bit muted. Nevertheless, even though it
didn't sound like the old temporary setup with all the
scaffolding and all the strops that were there, and you
saw this walking in Rory posted a photo online on
our Facebook page yesterday, you know it didn't sound like

(03:48):
the old temporary stadium because you couldn't stamp your feet
as much, but all the scaffolding and the strops certainly
made it look like the old temporary stadium. And that's
why I reckon the stadium. Bosses should add add a
touch of nostalgia to our beautiful, shiny new venue, and
whenever the extra seats are needed, they should call the

(04:11):
seats the Eddington Stand.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
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