Nick Sautner: Eden Park CEO on getting consent to host double the number of concerts in a year

Eden Park has been granted consent to host double the number of concerts in a year.

The Auckland stadium will now be able to host 12 concerts a year from six different artists.

CEO Nick Sautner told Heather du Plessis-Allan promoters are delighted with the announcement.

But he says they're limited to six artists under the conditions of the consent.

“Over time we wanted to build a level of comfort with everyone, including public transport providers to know that we can get people to and from the venue, or indeed the local businesses to receive the economic benefit.”

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good news for Auckland concert goers. Eden Park has been
given permission to host twice as many concerts every year,
so they're going to be able to do twelve concerts
up to six different artists and Nick Sautner is the CEO.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Haynak Good afternoon, Heather and thanks for your time.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Yeah, Hellisten, have you got any concerts lined up already?
Anything you need to tell.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Us, Well, we already have Luke Combs in January and
Metallica in November. But yeah, I've been in contact with
a number of promoters today. They're delighted with the news.
It's been a massive twelve months for Eden Park. It
started with Venue of the Year with the Stadium Business
Awards late last year, then delivering two Pink concerts, the

(00:38):
world's largest Harker Travis Scott, three Coldplay shows, the All
Blacks fifty wins without in thirty years without a loss.
Then you get the women's and men's Blues team winning
Super Rugby finals and our residents ninety seven pence cent
support for the submission and an outstanding way to cap
off a great year at the park.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Why is it limited to six artists?

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, that was the criteria. That was put forward under
the conditions of the consent. As you've seen over the
last five years, we've worked with the community but also
counsel to amend our conditions giving confidence. And one of
the things I want to emphasize is that we have delivered.
We said that we were going to deliver concerts for
our national stadium and we've done that. Our team has

(01:23):
been relentless in our delivery, three thousand casual staff, etc.
So over time, we wanted to build a level of
comfort with everyone, including whether it be the public transport
providers to know that we can get people to and
from the venue, or indeed the local businesses to receive
the economic benefit arising from these twelve shows or currently

(01:44):
the six.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Do you reckon you'll ever be able to beat? How
epic that Coldplay concert.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Was, well, if you reflect on since we have had
concerts have started with six sixty, the rest of the
world was locked down wearing masks and we had fifty
thousand fans on Eden Park, from Billy Joel to Ed Sheeran,
from Pink Now to Coldplay, Travis Scott to Guns N' Roses.
It's a probably a who's who of entertainment that has

(02:11):
performed at our National Stadium, I'm sure. And we heard
Chris Martin make a comment that most Englishmen come to
Eden Park and they get there beaten. Well, he was
one of those people who actually had a win it.
One hundred and eighty thousand people coming to the park
over it's the biggest event in entertainment in New Zealand's

(02:32):
history and I think we've got to reflect on that
that only five years ago we had people who wanted
Eden Park to be a sports venue and we've been
committed to this agenda. We wanted a quality for both
women and men when it came to sport, but also
for entertainers and I'm extremely proud we've had over two
thousand people put in submissions of support the Residents Association

(02:54):
as an example. They did their independent research, they attended
the hearing and this is the outcome. It's a great
outcome for Aukland and New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Good stuff, man, congratulations, Thank you Next Sultener Eden Parks CEO.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
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