John McCullum: Western Springs Speedway Manager on the decision to move the speedway to Waikaraka Park

There's mixed emotions over the decision to move Auckland's speedway from its home of 95 years.  

This summer season will be the last raced at Western Springs. 

Councillors deliberated for seven hours before voting 11-8 in favour of an $11 million upgrade to Onehunga's Waikaraka Park. 

Western Springs Speedway Manager John McCullum told Mike Hosking it's a tough pill to swallow. 

He says normally an $11 million council investment is great, but it's coming at the cost of losing their home. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
After ninety five year Speaking of cars, ninety five years,
Auckland's Western Springs Speedway moving to wake Oraka Park. Auckland
councilors yesterday fist the old meeting. Apparently they voted to
move it out to way Iraka. It's spent eleven million
dollars upgrading the place. It's been a real battle. John
McCallum's the manager of Western Springs Speedway and as well
as John Morning.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning man. You said indeed we are. Yeah, I
mean who wouldn't be ninety five years at history and
that's an iconic venue. Finally pointing the curtain down.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Does it make sense? It loses money, You're better off
somewhere else, make some more money, do it more often?
Blah blah blah or is that just bollocks?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
No, it makes sense if you want to face the realities.
But normally a counsel investment of eleven million dollars a
year sport you'd be jumping for joy. But it's a
pretty hard fact to celebrate when it's tied to You
could have the eleven million dollars, but you're no long
going to be your.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Home and so so if you would, could you have
done anything at Western Springs's Was there a way around it,
realistically or not realistically?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
There was there was. It was made very clear to
us by Tau, the landlord there, that there was no
future for speedway Western Springs. They hadn't hidden from that,
and I guess one of the things that came out
of yesterday was the chair of Tartak. He was able
to stand up there and say, look, we're not offering
a new license. There is no future at Western Springs
and everybody got to hear that. But they have delivered

(01:21):
on their promise of assisting with the eleven million dollars
to build a new facility.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Could it boom at why Kraka the Sports It could?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
I mean we've got a huge opportunity there to build
a new track, a new stadium. All the things that
were missing at Western Springs, the many benefits around the
accessibility and for competitors, and the amount of restriction on
dates and the things that make Western Springs so hard
to operate under the Unitary Plan and the Council regulations etc.

(01:50):
Will be removed. So it will definitely give it a lifeline.
And it was the only lifeline. It's been a much
better option than disappearing completely. There was no open wheeler
racing in Auckland or take our money. Yeah, go to
wike Grecord Park and build your whole future.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Good stuff, build it, they will come good on you. John,
appreciate it very much. John McCallum, the meeting, This has
been going on for years. Of course it won't bore
the rest of the country with Auckland's problems, but they
had a nice seven hour dissertation yesterday. Just in case
you want to be a counselor and you wonder why
know where you can be bothered voting in half the
people are on council alreadiot because yesterday just one decision
was and this was not just one meeting. They've had

(02:29):
god knows how many meetings over the years, but yesterday's
back and forward was just the just the cool seven hours.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
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