1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: All right. The organ stadium debate, Wayne Brown said, let's 2 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: just put this to bed was heating up. Thursday. They're 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: going to have a council vote on this and the 4 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 1: officials have received a report on the two options, and 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: that report warns that both Eden Park and Key Parks 6 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: proposals aren't feasible without public funding. Eden Park two point zero, 7 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: for instance, will require at least one hundred and ten 8 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:25,240 Speaker 1: million dollars alone from Central Government for its initial stage 9 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: one plan and that's just the North stand. So Marris 10 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: Williamson is an organd councilor who will be sitting around 11 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: the table on Thursday and trying to make a decision 12 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 1: about all of this and joins us out. Good moody 13 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: to you, Morris. 14 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 2: Good funding. 15 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 1: Of course, they're not feasible without public investment. Wasn't that 16 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: a given right from the start? 17 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 2: Yeah? I would have thought so. They are huge projects 18 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 2: with huge sums of money, and I would have thought, well, 19 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 2: I've still got a lot of questions. So as you 20 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 2: can understand, we haven't had our meeting yet, and one 21 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 2: of my questions is why are we involved in this 22 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 2: if these people are going to do it themselves and 23 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 2: they can fund it and so on. Well, then we 24 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 2: don't need to be involved. And if we are being 25 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 2: involved and we're saying, well, we're not going to fund anything, 26 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 2: it's almost sort of a double entendre here, I. 27 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: Think absolutely, and yet Wayne Brown said let's put this 28 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: to bed, let's do this's come up with a decision. 29 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: And yet at the same time it appears if you 30 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: don't want to be part of the public funding of 31 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: it all, it's never going anywhere. This has been a 32 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: waste of time. 33 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 2: Well, my question, I think I want to answer it 34 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 2: on Thursday is why are we being brought into this now? 35 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 2: We can obviously provide some assistance by way of consenting 36 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 2: and helping along the way that might assist the speed 37 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 2: of it, But there are huge chunks of money. If 38 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 2: you look at Eden Park two point one, they're talking 39 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 2: about five hundred million minimum to do this stage one, 40 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 2: two and then the retractable roof stage three. So again, 41 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 2: I mean it's pretty clear. I think that the mayor 42 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 2: has made it clear in his statements that there will 43 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 2: be no funding from the council, So I guess the 44 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 2: proposal still got the ability to go to central government. 45 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 2: But I wouldn't like the chances there either. 46 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: But here's the thing. Eden Park rebranded itself as New 47 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: Zealand's national stadium, which every other stadium went what. But 48 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 1: that's okay, it's a branding thing. We need a national stadium, 49 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,679 Speaker 1: we need a focus for a country. We're what five 50 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:22,839 Speaker 1: and a half million, it's like being a city. We're 51 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: competing against Australia. Shouldn't the government actually be stepping in 52 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: and saying, right, this is the main stadium for the country. 53 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 2: Well, much as I would love to speak on behalf 54 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 2: of the government and make big decisions, I really don't 55 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,799 Speaker 2: think I should. It'll be up to them to decide. Now. 56 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 2: There are enormous economic benefits that can happen from these, 57 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 2: because huge events can bring in massive tourism and spending 58 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 2: and hotel bed nights and so on. And you can 59 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 2: actually sometimes put a spreadsheet together which shows an investment 60 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 2: of a few hundred million can get you back multiple 61 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 2: numbers of that. But that would be for central government 62 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 2: to make a decision. I think a council while we're 63 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 2: sitting on a close to fifteen billion of debt, while 64 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 2: we're struggling to how to pay bills, and while we're 65 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 2: trying not to make the ratepayers pay rates and increases 66 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 2: that make your eyes water, we really haven't got an 67 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 2: ability to start playing in this game as well. 68 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: And what are your constituents saying to you? What's the 69 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 1: public saying to you when you're out? 70 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 2: And about everybody I talked to is keen on Eden Park. 71 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 2: There's a sort of a love affair with Eden Park 72 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 2: based on its history, where it's been my concern about 73 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 2: anything that was to be built down on the waterfront, 74 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 2: and it's a pretty sensible concern, I think, is that 75 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 2: if you build on the waterfront, you want something that's 76 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 2: looking out, you know, the harbor view. So you build 77 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 2: apartments and restaurants and hotels and they all got their 78 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 2: glass windows looking at the beautiful view. That's its value. 79 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 2: But if you build a stadium, it's looking in. You 80 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 2: go and sit down in your seat and you're looking 81 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 2: at the grass inside. So I would have thought the 82 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 2: last thing you would do is build a big stadium 83 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 2: down on the waterfront, which is main feature is it's 84 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 2: phenomenal view of the most iconic harbor going. So I'm 85 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 2: a big fan of the old history of Eden Park. 86 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 2: But you know we've got to have an open mind 87 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 2: when we're brief, but my very first question is, if 88 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 2: we're not funding this, why are we considering this at all? 89 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: Good question, Marris Williamson, have a good meeting on Thursday. 90 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live 91 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 2: to News Talks it be from five am weekdays, or 92 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.