AUCKLAND, NZ (CelebrityAccess) — Live Nation has expressed an interest in joining a coalition of companies seeking to build a major new sports stadium in central Auckland.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Live Nation New Zealand chairman Stuart Clumpas said the negotiations were still in very early stages over the stadium and factors such as a location and look for the proposed venue have yet to be decided.
Clumpas told the Herald that Live Nation would be interested in the music aspect of the venue, which is initially envisaged as a covered rectangular stadium for rugby, rugby league and football, and concerts, with a capacity of 65,000.
One site identified as potentially under consideration for the stadium was on Railway land alongside the existing Spark Arena. Other sites are under consideration in Victoria Park and Wynyard Quarter, the Herald reported.
“If you want to build a stadium in the city the bottom line is you have to be extremely close to public transport to move people out in mass numbers. To have that site right next to the trains, that’s great,” Clumpas told the newspaper.
While it is still early in the planning phase, the estimated cost of building the stadium ranges from $1.1b to $1.5b, which may be a sticking point for the project.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told the Herald on Monday that there was no money available in the city’s budget for a public-private stadium partnership. However, he didn’t close the door to the proposal entirely, noting that the City Council would consider the proposal in three years when they hammer out their next 10-year budget, which runs into the 2030s, the Herald reported.
