Not the moment for Victoria to host Games, Christchurch mayor says it could be ours
Our athletes and the future of the Games are in limbo after Victoria pulled out of hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026. Phil Mauger says "all the stuff" to host in Christchurch is "already built"
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Wednesday, July 19, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: ‘Grumpy’ MPs return to parliament; inflation figures out today; the tension between the cost of living and climate action for the government; but first, mayor makes bid to host Commonwealth Games here while New Zealand Olympic Committee rules it out
Games canned by Dan
I have a lot of affection for the Commonwealth Games. I suspect it's based purely on going to the Games when they were in Auckland in 1990. Halcyon days. I also have a deep love for the song we offered up to the sporting gods that year, This is the Moment. Victorian premier Daniel Andrews decided yesterday that it was not Victoria’s moment and pulled the plug on the state hosting the 2026 Games citing ballooning costs. Andrews told a press conference yesterday that the cost of hosting had ballooned from A$2.6b (AUD) to at least $6b. The Commonwealth Games organising body has blamed the Victorian government for considerably increasing the 2026 Games expenses by going against official advice and adding more sports and venues.
Christchurch mayor puts hand up to host
I suspect that like a lot of people, despite lingering nostalgia, I question the cost and economic return of hosting large sporting events. When news circulated that New Zealand was mulling a bid for the 2034 Commonwealth Games in April Mad Chapman had similar thoughts. Economist Eric Crampton and Chris Simpson, head of major events for Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, duked this issue out in June over the economic benefit figures being cited for the Fifa World Cup. Despite this, and despite the New Zealand Olympic Committee ruling New Zealand out as an alternative host for the 2026 games, Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger says the city and New Zealand should share hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. He reckons we don’t need to build anything or find any additional money saying the Christchurch wouldn’t need any, as “all the stuff’s already built”.
New host for 2026 and 2030 needed
The plan for the 2026 games in Victoria was aligned with a new era for the Games. A more dispersed and innovative event, held across regional hubs in Victoria cities aligned with investment in housing and world-class sporting facilities. After the Birmingham Games in 2022 where the host city stepped in after Durban lost the rights due to financial problems, Dame Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), said the Birmingham Games would be the last one of that size. Five cities pulled out of bidding for the 2026 Games because they were concerned about costs. Victoria was the only viable candidate. The Guardian has a very good explainer on what’s happened to date with the Games and what’s next. The CGF now needs to find a host not only for the 2026 Games but the 2030 Games after a bid to host what would be the centenary games from Hamilton (the Canadian one) collapsed earlier this year. It does feel a bit like the Spiderman meme right now with the United Kingdom hoping an Australian state or city might still volunteer to host in 2026, while all Australian states bar Queensland have ruled it out, shunting hope back to the originators of the Commonwealth as a possible option.
NZOC remains confident the 2026 Games will go ahead.
All this leaves New Zealand athletes and potentially the slated bid to host the Games in 2034 in New Zealand in limbo. The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) remains confident the 2026 Games will go ahead. NZOC chief executive Nicki Nicol also said Victoria pulling out has not dented confidence in a New Zealand concept for 2034. Nicol cited the Birmingham model for hosting as one it would learn from, rather than the ambitious Victorian plan. It’s unlikely they can count on support for that bid from another New Zealand mayor. When Leo Molloy had his hat in the ring for Auckland’s mayoralty last year, he got very excited about the prospect of hosting the 2034 games. At the time, Wayne Brown called it a “pipe dream” and “another billion-plus-dollar promise, made from the wallets of Aucklanders.”
Dr Ellen Joan Nelson on This is Kiwi
Celebrating extraordinary achievements by ordinary people, This is Kiwi explores the remarkable stories of incredible New Zealanders. In the fourth episode of this six part series, Jane Yee talks to Dr Ellen Joan Nelson, esteemed academic, military veteran and Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year for 2023. After the Taliban took power in 2021, Nelson helped to evacuate 500 Afghan refugees from Kabul. As well as this, she’s a parent and advocate for working parents’ rights. She joined the This is Kiwi podcast to talk about finding empowerment.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts (sponsored)
‘Grumpy’ MPs return to parliament
MPs were back at parliament yesterday and were described as grumpy after Monday night’s poll. Will run through the main events unrelated to that mood cycle. The government made its second law and order announcement this week. Two new high-needs units will be built within youth justice residences as part of a broader package to curb a recent spike in youth offending. National and Act said it was pure politics and there are lingering questions about how the units will be staffed and the merits of pressing ahead while a review of Oranga Tamariki is underway. Michael Wood and Kiri Allan returned to the house. Wood was referred to the privileges committee. National party leader Christopher Luxon scored an own goal at question time. And finally, proving that you can stir up the news cycle from well beyond the House, Roger Douglas issued a 22-page letter to say the Act party he founded has lost the plot and that he’s a swing voter. Will let you decide whether that’s a bigger about-turn than Countdown rebranding back to Woolworths.
Inflation figures out today
Stats NZ will release inflation figures today, the last before the election. As Stuff’s Tom Pullar-Strecker reports, the big four banks are all forecasting that annual inflation will have fallen to 5.9% when it reports the June quarter figure today. The Reserve Bank (RBNZ) is forecasting 6.1%. Once again, eyes will be on the all-important non-tradable (domestic) inflation figure. interest.co.nz’s David Hargreaves reports that Westpac economists are sticking to their view that the RBNZ will increase the Official Cash Rate again next month although they say today’s figures and next month’s labour force figures will likely inform that decision.
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Climate change vs cost of living
As temperatures hit record highs in China, Europe and the United States and people pose for selfies in 56-degree heat in Death Valley, it does feel a bit like climate change has slipped from the political agenda in New Zealand. Nonetheless, journalists persist. Newsroom’s Marc Daalder has a story on advice given to cabinet by officials at Treasury and a board of agency chief executives that said Budget 2023 spending on climate was unlikely to seriously cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Herald’s Jenée Tibshraeny also has a good piece (paywalled) on the tension between the cost of living and climate action for the government and its struggle “to burn Climate Change Commission advice in its policy bonfire”. That’s in the wake of the High Court decision last Thursday ordering the government to reconsider Emissions Trading Scheme settings to help the country meet legislated emissions reduction targets. Cabinet ignored advice from the CCC in December on limiting the number of new units auctioned under the ETS which would allow the price to rise because “it feared businesses would pass costs on to consumers, exacerbating the cost of living crisis.”
Click and Collect
Waka Kotahi insists the Pūhoi-to-Warkworth motorway is built to last despite a major slip
Bankruptcy looming for Eric Watson
The timing of the $400m rebrand of Countdown back to Woolworths described as “interesting” by Consumer NZ
From the “couldn’t write it” files: over 100 people trapped for several hours in mystery writer Agatha Christie’s former home
Quick follow-up on yesterday’s lead with a calculation from Kernel Wealth on the potential impact on a 22-year-old’s Kiwisaver if withdrawn and used to pay bond. Personally, and particularly for women, I think the loss to your investment if $1000 is withdrawn and paid back after five years is more salient than the one used for the more unlikely scenario of bond not being returned. Compound interest really is the exception to a golden rule of investing.
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If something’s on special or prominently displayed at your local supermarket, chances are the supplier paid for the privilege. Liv Sisson investigates where that leaves small, local businesses. Toby Manhire looks at the fall in support for Labour and National who combined haven’t polled so low for more than 20 years. Claire Mabey explains the strange saga of the cancelled Smithsonian literary festival that’s left four New Zealand writers with holes in their pockets and many questions. An unemployed person on the jobseeker support shares how they spend their money for the Cost of Being series.
Sporting Snippets
Dylan Cleaver on why the Warriors’ home games feel different all of a sudden
Black Caps to play home tests against Australia for the first time since 2016
“Lose and weep on the shoulder of Kate Middleton and try not to laugh at the irony of being counselled on the virtues of hard work and perseverance by a literal princess.” Absolutely brilliant bit of sports writing here on Ons Jabeur’s loss at Wimbledon and living with defeat “like it’s the end of the world”.
The near-death of one of the rarest things in local politics
Writing in this month’s Metro magazine, Hayden Donnell explains how a small but loud minority delayed — and tried to completely kill — an almost universally popular plan to install cycle lanes in Auckland.
“AT’s head of cycling, Adrian Lord, has worked in transport agencies across the United Kingdom and Europe for 25 years, and says he’s never seen a cycle-friendly safety upgrade meet with the same positivity as Great North Rd.” That’s until it wasn’t, “as a few councillors, the newly elected mayor and a ragtag group of local activists teamed up for a last-minute, audacious and almost successful attempt at sabotage.” Lord now says the past few months have been one of the biggest struggles of his career.
