Nick Sautner: Eden Park CEO's hopeful they can gain public funding for stadium upgrade

The boss of Eden Park remains hopeful of convincing the Government to help fund a major expansion. 

Auckland councillors have voted to back the upgrading of the stadium over the building of a new arena near the waterfront. 

But Eden Park has yet to secure any public funding. 

Chief Executive Nick Sautner told Mike Hosking work will now begin on making a case to government. 

He says while everyone's doing it tough right now, there are opportunities for money to be re-allocated and invested in New Zealand's national stadium. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In a state of almost bewilderment. We seem interested in
what the Auckland City Council thinks about a stadium they've
got no real say over. But yesterday they voted to
endorse the redevelopment of eden Park as opposed to a
new facility on the waterfront. The next step in what
is an astonishingly long go nowhere kind of process is
what happens next? Does the government get involved? Eden Park's
thet Sortner is with us.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Nick morning, Good morning Mike, and thanks for your time.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
No, not at all. We had Martin Snedden on the
program yesterday. We were talking about the redevelopment of eden
Park back in twenty eleven. So twenty fifteen, nothing really
has happened. Do you think you'll be alive when someone
makes a decision.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, I'd like to think so, And yesterday we welcome
the decision and acknowledge the staff that to participating in
a process for over two years it was originally intended
to take three months, took two years. Our strategy and
purposes being to demonstrate that our hybrid multi purpose stadium
and adapted for a use of Eden Park, is the
only solution for Auckland and New Zealand's National Stadium.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
If they do or tick something off, what happens to
the facility that you can't do now.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
So for us, the critical element is to demonstrate that
increase utilization is part and parcel of stadium economics and
with the opening of the CRL we'll see a pipeline
of potential and for us it's to unlock a lot
of the potential that's there. So we're currently under a
number of constraints. We've got ninety seven percent support from

(01:22):
the community. So part of this process has been able
to demonstrate that we have got the support of the
community and local businesses. We understand the economic benefits of
major events and we've got a proven track record the
last five years. We've seen seventy percent of our revenue
and activity not being part of our business model only
five years ago, and we know we need to evolve
and this is just the next step.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Do you have any sense at all of whether the
central government is remotely interested.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well, I'm very confident in the conversations that we can
have and we're not looking for new money. What we're
looking for is for government to be more efficient with
existing money. And with the pipeline of content including the
Cricket World Cup in twenty two twenty eight, this is
once in a lifetime opportunity to actually draw a line
in the sand and make a decision adaptive re use

(02:08):
of Eden Park with a staged approach. The first stage
been one hundred and ten million. I understand that everyone's
doing it tough, but I'm confident there is opportunities for
savings and reinvestment in our national stadium.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Good stuff. Thank nice to talk to your next sup.
Not eaton Parks CEO nine.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
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