North Harbour Stadium and Domain Precinct – saved and on the pathway to success
Earlier this year, the council’s Long-term Plan (LTP) had some options for the future of the North Harbour Stadium and Precinct. We’re grateful to everyone who had their say on the stadium proposal – their voices have made a difference. They confirmed that the stadium is an important asset that needs to be looked after and turned around.
We are so pleased that after a lot of advocacy, we have landed in a good place with a pragmatic way forward for the stadium. The mayor and councillors have asked the chairs and deputy chairs of the Hibiscus and Bays, and Upper Harbour local boards to lead a locally-led working group to provide clarity on:
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the future vision and role of North Harbour Stadium and Domain Precinct;
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the process to identify the most appropriate ownership, funding, governance, and operational management; and possible improvements.
This request by the mayor and councillors of empowering our local boards in this way is a first and we have been working at pace since. In August, we updated the mayor and councillors on our progress so far:
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we've set up a working group with an incredible mix of highly qualified people to guide us and have held two meetings so far;
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we've engaged with a huge array of people and organisations who are key stakeholders or have valuable insights to share;
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we've produced a discussion document (a living document to be updated continuously as work progresses); and
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we're working on a two-stage process to move forward, undertaking:
1. a locally led expression of interest process, in conjunction with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited to see if there is a party or organisation who could operate and manage the North Harbour Stadium commencing July 2025.
2. a concurrent process to determine the most appropriate ownership, funding, governance, improvements, and operational management model for the long-term future use of the North Harbour Stadium and Domain Precinct by December 2026.
We know that the legacy left to us is a remarkable and proud one, that is for future generations to enjoy, and was built on the backs of local volunteers who had an incredible vision and foresight to leave us a stadium and precinct built by the people, for the people.
The stadium and precinct provide essential and well-used community sport and recreation facilities and is home to various sports organisations and professional sporting teams for high performance training and/or matches.
Previously, the stadium hosted major international entertainment content but its space in the venue network has since shifted. The stadium needs a refocused strategic direction with the right mandate to drive and leverage opportunities for the stadium and precinct.
We are continuing the hard work to rejuvenate and build on the legacy left to us by the stadium trustees back in the late 1990’s.
You can find the Governing Body meeting agenda and minutes from 29 August 2024 here or watch a recording of the meeting here.
If you have any questions or would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or anyone on the working group.
Alexis Poppelbaum
Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Chair
