Eden Park CEO, Nick Sautner, has hailed a “landmark moment for Auckland and New Zealand’s entertainment scene” after the stadium was given the green light to double its annual concert provision.
Consent from Auckland Council comes after Eden Park Trust, operator of the stadium, in August sought permission to hold up to 12 concert events, featuring six different artists, at the venue in a calendar year.
This has now been approved following public support that saw over 2,000 submissions, with 94% in favour of increased live music events at the stadium. Several conditions come attached to the Council’s decision, which can be appealed within 15 days.
These include that concerts must finish by 11pm local time on most days and 10.30pm on a Sunday not followed by a public holiday. Noise limits are also a continued part of the agreement.
Eden Park was allowed to start booking concerts after a decision by independent commissioners in February 2021 to grant the stadium the right to host up to six music events per year. The stadium had previously been able to host concerts but the Eden Park Trust Board had to apply for approval on a case-by-case basis, a process that could cost NZ$100,000 (£47,000/€56,000/$59,000) and take up to 18 months to realise.
Eden Park has been making efforts to enhance its concert staging capability. In September, the stadium’s Lower West Stand was demolished in order to raise capacity for music events to between 55,000 and 65,000, depending on stage configuration.
Sautner said: “Expanding venue availability enables us to offer artists flexibility to perform multiple shows to meet fan demand, making Auckland a more attractive stop on their global tours. Concerts at Eden Park have become integral to our country’s cultural landscape, delivering significant economic and social benefits to our local community, city and country.
“Live concerts at Eden Park create over 3,000 jobs for each event and attract thousands of visitors to our city, boosting our tourism, hospitality and accommodation sectors while also providing much-needed escapism and entertainment for people.
“Last week we hosted over 160,000 fans who came to Auckland from across the world and the country to see Coldplay play live at Eden Park over three nights. These shows delivered millions to our GDP to demonstrate the venue’s impact.
“Eden Park has been a cornerstone of Auckland’s cultural and sporting landscape for over 120 years. This consent allows us to build on that legacy, attracting top global artists while maintaining our commitment to being a valuable asset for our community and strategic asset for New Zealand.
“We will continue working with promoters to bring international artists to New Zealand’s national stadium. Our commitment to continually enhancing venue utilisation and infrastructure will ensure that Eden Park is a world-class, multi-purpose venue for top-tier events.”
Eden Park posted a net operating profit of NZ$8.26m for the 12-month period ending October 31, 2023, marking the best results in the stadium’s history.
