Christchurch gets its stadium
The council voted 13-3 in favour and will now work on how to cover the increased cost. A sports economist described the likely benefits as “happiness” and not economic return.
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Friday, July 15, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: what you need to know about masks and RAT access; Pacific leaders declare a climate emergency; New Zealand leads the pack on media coverage of women in sport; but first, the Christchurch stadium debate is put to bed.
Te Kaha is slated to open in April 2026 (Photo: supplied)
Christchurch is getting its stadium, questions about funding remain
Christchurch city councillors voted yesterday, 13-3 in favour of proceeding with Te Kaha at the costs of $683m. Newsroom’s David Williams writes in support of the three councillors who dissented. The debate about proceeding may have ended but the discussion about how to cover the cost will go on. Stuff’s Steve Walton breaks down the forecast rates increases for Christchurch residents over the next six years, while councillors say they want to reduce this by finding other ways to pay for the stadium. The planned opening date is set down for April 2026. The decision was premised on the agreement to a fixed price for the project’s completion. I expect everyone will be watching that like a hawk given the current construction cost environment.
58% of all submitters on the stadium consultation were men, 39% were woman
An analysis of the nearly 30,000 submissions made about the stadium shows that those in favour were more likely to be young and, by a small margin, men. 58% of all submitters were men, 39% were women. This is an interesting read from the US about why politicians subsidise stadiums despite a lack of popular support. Hard to say that the will of the people wasn’t in play in Christchurch, with 77% of the 29,978 valid submissions in favour of proceeding. It’s still fair to say there are questions about how much value will be delivered given the body of research that suggests stadiums are money pits. Victor Matheson, a sports economist, says the benefit is best quantified using intangible metrics like happiness.
A response to the plea that Auckland’s Eden Park needs the Christchurch stadium built
Former New Zealand Rugby communications chief Brian Finn has written a humdinger on Eden Park. He writes in response to an opinion piece on the Herald from Eden Park trust board chair, Doug McKay. Finn describes the piece as a thinly veiled plea for yet more Auckland ratepayer funding. McKay wrote that Eden Park needs the Christchurch stadium built to attract global events to New Zealand. Finn notes the irony in McKay giving advice in light of Eden Park’s attempts to become more than a sports ground. In good news for Eden Park and Billy Joel fans, Joel will perform there on December 3.
Submission made in song
I can think of no better place to end this on a Friday than by offering you this review from The Spinoff’s Sam Brooks of a performance of the John Lennon classic, Imagine at yesterday’s council meeting. We did not imagine this, it did happen. The vocalist was Peter Morrison from Hospitality NZ. Morrison was interviewed by Lisa Owen on Checkpoint last night and said he’d been told he would not be the first act to perform at the stadium. He went on to sing Moon River at the request of Owen. For your listening pleasure, here is his encore performance.
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What you need to know about mask and RAT access
As covered in yesterday’s Bulletin, the government announced that they would make RATs and masks more available and free. These can be ordered through the Ministry of Health RAT request site. Stuff’s Hannah Martin has a run down of what you need to know. The criteria that a person needs to have symptoms or be a household contact to request free RATs has been abandoned. Rounding up comments from experts, there seemed to be consensus that these were all good moves, although Michael Baker thinks there’s a hole in the plan by not including mask mandates in schools saying the government is putting politics ahead of science. This morning, doctors are saying the measures will do little to ease the strain on the health system.
30 year strategy launched at Pacific Islands Forum
The 2050 strategy for the Blue Pacific has been agreed to by the nations of the 51st Pacific Islands Forum. The 36-page document outlines 10 commitments across seven thematic areas most crucial for the long term development of the region. Forum chair and Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama said "climate crisis, socio-economic development challenges, slow economic growth and geopolitical competition" were the major issues faced by the region. The forum leaders also declared a climate emergency. Speaking after the meeting about the conversations that were had, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said "Tuvalu is having a conversation around the future nationhood without the possibility of having a landmass" and that that was discussed.
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Click and collect
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As Covid numbers surge again, mask use seems to be dwindling – especially in cafes, restaurants and bars. Charlotte Muru-Lanning looks at how we can keep safe while enjoying a bite to eat. Mad Chapman issues a request for media to please stop interviewing the Voices for Freedom leaders. Shanti Mathias explores the "second layer" of the internet and all the invisible online infrastructure we use every day without realising. And Alex Casey presents a truly chilling reflection of modern Aotearoa in the form of a ranking on the weirdest things she's ever seen in the mirrors for sale on Trade Me.
A lift in the coverage of women’s sports in New Zealand
A new report from Sport NZ has found that media coverage of women’s sports in New Zealand has lifted. The last report in 2020 had coverage at 15%. It’s now 21%. It was 4% in 2011. I’m linking to Lockeroom’s Suzanne McFadden’s story on this as they get a shout in the report for contributing to that. A study in the US found women's sports coverage in the US was just over 5% showing no growth in three decades. The Sport NZ report also found that New Zealand newsrooms were still male dominated when it comes to sports coverage, with a drop in the number of sports reporting bylines from women.
It’s Friday so…
While Australia might be enticing people to move over with their higher salaries and lower cost of living, we are winning on one front. According to the just-invented cost-of-Bunnings-sausage-sizzle-index, Australians face a 40% increase in the price of a snag and bread. Bunnings Australia has announced that buying a sausage at their ubiquitous sausage sizzles will now set Australians back $3.50. Not here though. The price remains locked at $2.50. It comes hot on the heels of another sausage controversy after it was revealed that Bunnings stores in Western Australia were serving their sausage on bread rolls and not on a slab of white bread. Before we get too smug, the lettuce shortage has finally hit New Zealand and you’ll be getting cabbage with your KFC burgers for the time being. Spare a thought for Fiji who have run out of big Macs and cheeseburgers.
