Eden Park

To those who know I have an opinion about everything, it might come as a surprise I haven't spewed forth about the great debate happening in this neck of the woods over the last couple of weeks - do we build a Waterfront Stadium or upgrade Eden Park for RWC 2011?

Put the silence down to it should be obvious to a blind man and a dog that the Waterfront proposal was not going to fly - no firm costings, no guarantee of completion - even Aucklanders aren't that stupid. As Phil Gifford wrote in the Sunday Star-Times, we missed our chance when we decided to put fast food outlets at Quay Park a few years ago - hmmm, maybe Aucklanders are stupid after all ...

However, now that the Government are trying to worm out of coughing up some dough because they haven't got their way, let's back up the truck:

1. NZRFU thought it would be a good idea to host RWC 2011.
2. So did the Government, who so enthusiastically supported the idea that none other than our sports-hating Prime Minister hopped over to Dublin come crunch time.
3. The IRB have a requirement that the final of RWC is played in a 60,000 seat stadium.
4. New Zealand doesn't have a 60,000 seat stadium.
5. No doubt the bid, prepared by the NZRFU - partly-funded and enthusiastically supported by the NZ Government, made the appropriate assurances that this wouldn't be a problem and come 2011, New Zealand would have said 60,000 seat stadium.

So - NZRFU and Government - sort yout shit out. You made the promises, now deliver. Don't pass the buck to Auckland ratepayers thank you - if you were going to do that, perhaps you should have told us when the bid was made?

This nanny state Government who likes to interfere in every facet of our lives never ceases to amaze me when it comes to wallet-opening time. The GST alone on the construction would account for a sizeable portion of the shortfall - tight bastards. There endeth the rant for the day.