Editorial: A stadium half-full or half-empty?

Otago Daily Times

a day ago

Somewhere between the over-optimism of some and the pessimism of others lies the truth about the future viability of Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Next month it will be 14 years since then prime minister John Key opened the $224 million stadium, just a month before the start of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
That the stadium was ever built was, in some ways, a miracle. There were many concerns raised at the time about the realities of such a project, including the economics of constructing such a large venue so distant from the country's larger population centres where big overseas sporting and musical acts are typically held.
The stadium debate was acrimonious and divisive, leading to court cases and much bitterness among residents.
Even when it eventually opened, and despite the hoopla, the events were slow to come. A memorably windy Elton John concert in November 2011 was the first to be held under its draughty roof.
But in one of those bizarre twists of fate, the Christchurch earthquake of February that year wrecked Jade Stadium and kick-started a slowly growing momentum which would act in Dunedin's favour for more than a decade.
With Christchurch off the grid as far as major events were concerned — not only because of a lack of a major venue but also because of accommodation, hospitality and other logistical problems — Forsyth Barr Stadium could flourish.
And flourish the Dunedin stadium has. It held several 2011 Rugby World Cup games which the quake-damaged Christchurch was unable to run. It is the home ground for the Highlanders and Otago rugby teams and has hosted test matches and Rugby World Cup games. It has also been a venue for rugby league fixtures and for the 2015 Fifa Under-20 World Cup.
International acts have performed at the stadium and transformed the city, including Pink, Kendrick Lamar, Shania Twain, Robbie Williams, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond, even Black Sabbath.
Oh, and don't forget Ed Sheeran. How could we. Of all the concerts held at the stadium, the Sheeran performancers of Easter 2018 were highlights, generating an estimated $38m for the city's economy from the more than 65,000 visitors.
Unfortunately, Sheeran will not be performing in Dunedin when he returns to New Zealand in January, opting instead for Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, where he is expected to be the last act at the temporary stadium before the city's new venue, Te Kaha, opens.
Some people have taken to calling this a snub. In some ways that view is understandable. After all, Sheeran's visit seven years ago was a huge high spot for Dunedin and the South. Sheeran became "one of ours". The mural in Bath St remains for all to see, long after the performances have drifted off into the ether.
To suggest a deliberate rejection of the stadium and the city by Sheeran, though, is an overreaction, although there have been suggestions he wasn't happy with the sound system.
What this does do, however, is sharpen minds to consider what life may be like for Forsyth Barr once the Christchurch stadium is up and running. A large shadow seems to be looming just over the shoulder.
There can be little doubt that Christchurch's Te Kaha poses a significant threat to the Dunedin stadium. It will have several major advantages.
Firstly, it will be 15 years newer and will benefit from the novelty aspect of that and of Christchurch's new and vibrant inner-city hospitality. Secondly, Christchurch is a much larger city than Dunedin — with a population around 420,000 it is more than three times as big — and, thirdly, it has a major international airport with direct flights from Australia, Southeast Asia and North America.
Those are selling points which any promoter and artist will find hard to look past.
Tougher times certainly lie ahead for Dunedin's stadium and for when it comes to easy access to international acts and sporting fixtures for people in the South.
However, we should not wallow in southern doom and gloom. Dunedin will continue to attract events and there remain plenty of other wonderful reasons to come and share our heritage, wildlife and culture.