Analysis: Storm clouds gathered as the feasibility committee for a 2018 Commonwealth Games bid met sports minister Murray McCully.
It was March 2010, and, the previous year, the New Zealand Olympic Committee had commissioned an assessment for hosting the Games, and Paralymic Games, in Auckland.
The $325,000 report was funded by the major events unit within the Economic Development Ministry, Auckland’s eight, yet-to-be-merged councils, and government sports funding agency Sparc. (The Commonwealth Games Federation, which controls and directs the event, appointed consultants to visit Auckland and assess the city’s capacity.)
Estimates for hosting the games were an eye-opening $600 million, it was reported, with half to be paid by the Government, and half by the new Auckland super-city.
On the other side of the ledger, the event would have benefits for sports and athletes, morale-lifting volunteer and spectator participation, and leave a legacy of shiny, new infrastructure.
After the committee met with McCully, the NZ Herald reported the Government was unlikely to underwrite the cost – and it was right.
“It’s very, very expensive and we can’t see the economic payback,” prime minister John Key said the following week. The government’s decision, which sunk the bid, came amidst tight global economic conditions, and with the backdrop of the country already agreeing to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
In the lead-up to the 2010 games in Delhi, India, NZ Olympic Committee secretary-general Barry Maister called for future events to be scaled back, as hosting costs were “grossly over the top”.
“If New Zealand can’t get across the line to bid then the formula is wrong.”
The debate about this country hosting the games has sprung up again, this time thanks to Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger, whose vision is to mould the southern city into the sporting and events capital of New Zealand.
In January, the city’s councillors tasked staff, and the city’s economic development arm, ChristchurchNZ, with providing advice on whether a Commonwealth Games bid for 2030 or 2034 was feasible.
Auckland’s fizzled bid for the 2018 event didn’t produce the legacy its promoters would wanted. What it did leave, however, was at least one useful item – the 241-page cost-benefit report, completed in March 2010, and provided to Newsroom by the Business Ministry, MBIE.
Costs in the “masterplan” are wildly out of date, but at least the 2010 document gives Ōtautahi/Christchurch a good primer on what’s required to host such a big sporting event.
It comes as the Commonwealth Games faces an uncertain future. This past year, the Australian state of Victoria pulled the plug on hosting the 2026 iteration, citing escalating costs.
Earlier this month, it was revealed multiple hosting bids are being considered.
It’s not clear if Maister’s call, from years ago, to shrink the event will be heeded. However, the Commonwealth Games Federation said “early concepts” of the event aimed to “reset and re-frame” the games. An announcement is expected to be made in May.
Inside the masterplan
If Auckland was to host the games in 2018, it was thought 6500 athletes and officials from 70 countries, plus athletes in the para-sports programme, would descend on the city for 11 days of world-class competition, in 17 sporting codes.
Drawcards were expected to be the Jamaican sprint team, British track cyclists, and Australian swimmers, while the rugby sevens and netball competitions would act as pseudo world championships.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators would attend, with hundreds of millions watching on TV, including the opening and closing ceremonies at Eden Park.
The event would “capture the hearts and minds of New Zealanders”, the 2010 masterplan said.
Youngsters would be inspired, while a home-turf advantage was expected to boost the medal tally. The success of hosting the games might open the door to other major events, it was thought.
Auckland’s network of venues met “a significant number” of games requirements, and many had space to install temporary seats. However, four sports – athletics, aquatics, cycling and shooting – required “significant development”, the document said.
“The current network of high-standard venues, and identified temporary infrastructure additions, will be a true asset to a Commonwealth Games bid, and place Auckland ahead of many Commonwealth cities in the world.”
New builds and temporary developments to meet games standards were expected to cost $152 million – the most expensive of which were a new indoor velodrome ($45m), a $40m stadium upgrade for the athletics venue, and $30m spent on an aquatic facility. Developing a new shooting venue would cost about $3m.
A separate stadium study said Mt Smart and North Harbour stadiums were the most cost-effective options for an athletics venue, with similar costs for upgrades. The athletics track would be removed once the games were over, while extra stadium seating would be a mix of permanent and temporary.
(North Harbour had an extra quirk. The IAAF, now World Athletics, requires 100m straights to be on the western side of stadiums to avoid athletes throwing or jumping into the sun but North Harbour’s multi-level stand was on the stadium’s eastern side.)
The federation’s seating capacity demands were daunting – 40,000 for the athletics stadium, for example, 5000 seats for swimming, and 2500 at the squash centre.
Ideally, key venues would be less than 45 minutes away from the games village and other accommodation, and the international broadcast/media centre, the masterplan said. Other considerations were the proximity of training locations, and a leasing a large logistics centre.
The games village, proposed to be built through a public-private partnership for $110m, would cover about 33 hectares, and provide accommodation, catering, administration and leisure activities for at least 6000 athletes and officials over 25 days.
Preferred locations for the village included the Avondale Racecourse, Unitec and New Lynn.
After the games, the plan was to convert the village to permanent, low-cost housing, with $28m raised by selling the relocatable buildings. (A public-private partnership was proposed.)
“Previous games villages have provided the catalyst for governments to accelerate urban regeneration projects and deliver legacy benefits,” the report said.
“The findings of the phase one feasibility study clearly indicated that Auckland does have the capability and capacity to host a 2018 Commonwealth Games and it has a high chance of winning the rights to host the games should it bid.”
Auckland 2018 Commonwealth Games masterplan
Two aspects of the 14-year-old masterplan document stood out: the lengths to which Auckland would have to go for transport to run smoothly; and the sheer number of temporary seats required.
So many temporary seats were needed, in fact, it would exhaust the country’s entire supply. About 20,000 were on hand but the demand was for 33,000. Temporary seating and structures would cost $20.2m to install.
The country’s largest city would be transformed, with priority lanes for games traffic to major venues, which would have huge carparks.
Public transport, free for ticket-holders, would be more frequent to ensure spectators, workers and volunteers get around Auckland efficiently. Special bus, rail and ferry services would be provided for major venues.
But this would cost big bucks, and a lot of planning.
Capital upgrades for roads and public transport routes, already on the books, would cost an estimated $100m.
Further work would be required, potentially, depending on the locations of the games village, operations hubs like the broadcasting and media centre, and whether Mt Smart or North Shore would be converted into the 40,000-seat athletics stadium.
Transport and traffic operations would cost $75m.
During competition, a fleet of 130 coaches filled with athletes and team officials would criss-cross the city. That’s so many that, if the event was held during peak touring season in February or March, coaches would probably have to be imported from Australia to fill the shortfall.
A further 100 coaches would be required for media, 10 coaches for athletes with accessibility needs, and a mix of mini-vans and buses for technical delegates and officials.
VIPs needed 250 vehicles of their own, including 10 described as “super luxury”. Another 400 vehicles would be available for phone bookings.
The masterplan revealed things you don’t necessarily think about, like an internal bus for the games village, specialist tow trucks on standby to unblock roads, and mechanics employed on-site to service the coaches.
Parallels with the present
Security for the 2018 games was “critical”, the masterplan said. (This theme is playing out in the present day, ahead of this year’s Paris Olympics.)
Operations in Auckland were expected to be led by Police and government agencies, such as the Defence Force and emergency services, meaning central government would absorb about $10.8m in costs.
However, other security costs were still expected to top $30m, with $18.1m earmarked to train and pay more than 3000 private security workers. About $4.5m would be spent on screening equipment, like x-ray machines and hand wands.
A Commonwealth Games Act, giving agencies the ability to act “outside normally mandated powers”, was also suggested – giving extra powers to move people along, and search them, as well as restricting public access and traffic to certain areas.
Then there’s operational costs for the games, with $83m for staff, propped up by more than 13,000 volunteers, an advertising and promotions budget topping $60m, and another $40m for technology, such as timing, scoring, and results information.
Add it up: $152m for new and temporary infrastructure, $82m for the games village, $175m for transport and traffic, $42m for security, and operating costs apportioned to the organising committee of $318m.
On top of that, it was suggested central and local government pour tens of millions of dollars into lead-up events, building fan zones, installing artworks and new public toilets, and creating a sustainability/waste management initiative.
“The findings of the phase one feasibility study clearly indicated that Auckland does have the capability and capacity to host a 2018 Commonwealth Games and it has a high chance of winning the rights to host the games should it bid.”
The bigger question was: should Auckland make a bid? We already know the answer to that: It didn’t.
Back to the present day and Christchurch’s ambitious plan, backed by the mayor and a majority of councillors, to assess a bid for the games, even if it was part of a country-wide effort.
Advice is being prepared by the major events team of the city’s economic development agency, ChristchurchNZ, alongside the council’s recreation and sports unit.
ChristchurchNZ’s head of major events Karena Finnie says it is yet to assess the city’s sporting venues against the Commonwealth Games requirements to see what upgrades might be necessary.
“We do not have a set date for the completion of the report.”
Late last year, Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga completed a “market sounding”, which found softening market conditions meant firms would have increased capacity to take on projects.
“Stadium upgrades/refurbishments can involve the wider vertical building market and light commercial sector, including interiors-focused businesses,” Te Waihanga chief executive Ross Copland says.
“And as residential and commercial property new construction demand continues to ease, these firms are likely to have capacity to take on additional work.”
Given the government scuppered Auckland’s Commonwealth Games ambitions in 2010, we asked Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop what priority the Government would place on a bid in this parliamentary term.
While he hasn’t been approached formally about a potential Commonwealth Games bid, Bishop says the Olympic Committee has expressed an interest in hosting the 2034 event.
“A robust feasibility assessment would be required to fully understand the proposition before considering bidding for hosting rights.”
In fact, Olympic Committee chief executive Nicki Nicol confirms it has entered formal dialogue with the Commonwealth Games Federation about a 2034 “nationwide bid”.
“This timeframe provides sufficient runway to engage government and other relevant agencies to develop an innovative and bold proposal for a potential 2034 bid, including undertaking a formal feasibility study.”
Should Christchurch make a bid?
It would have to overcome major challenges, like worsening traffic congestion, and some of the lowest government investment in public transport for a city its size in Australasia.
Ratepayers might have a view on a potential bid.
The council’s recently released draft 10-year plan, which proposes $6.5 billion of capital spending and projects debt will increase to $4b by 2034, doesn’t contain a single dollar of spending related to the Commonwealth Games. Cumulatively, over the decade, rates are already set to increase 58 percent.
What would help the city weigh its options is for its advisers to look at the 241-page masterplan produced in 2010 for Auckland’s bid.
Does ChristchurchNZ already have a copy? It doesn’t, Finnie says, but it’s asked for it.
No need to wait. Newsroom has made its copy available here.
- This story has been updated with comment from Olympic Committee chief executive Nicki Nicol.
