Eden Park News: Perspectives

One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing in global sport and entertainment is that the event itself is no longer the whole product. A sports match, concert or major cultural event may be the reason people come through the gates, but the value of a venue is increasingly shaped by everything that sits around it:…

The famous line from the 1989 film Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come”, might work beautifully as a movie idea; it’s definitely not a stadium strategy. In the real world, people do not go to a stadium just because the stadium exists. They go because there is a reason to be…

When the FIFA World Cup begins next month, most people will watch the players and celebrate the moments on the pitch. And while they might notice how good the grass looks, few will think about the pitch itself, or the years of science, planning and precision required to ensure it performs at the highest possible…

With the City Rail Link due to open later this year, the focus is naturally on how the new network operates – the trains, stations, routes and timetables that will change the way people move around Auckland. But the broader conversation is about what that connectivity enables. For Auckland, the CRL is not only a…

In an earlier article I explained what is required to manage a $1bn infrastructure asset, but one aspect that deserves more attention is the ongoing reality of maintaining and modernising a highly utilised national stadium to ensure it continues to meet the expectations of a modern, world-class venue. The more intensively infrastructure is used, the…

We tend to spend a lot of time talking about how a stadium is funded, and I would like to see us pay more attention to what a stadium enables, the value it creates around it, and how some of that value can be captured and reinvested to strengthen the surrounding precinct over time. This…

Eden Park is not only the name of our national stadium, it is a globally recognised, locally treasured and nationally significant brand. Built over more than 125 years, it’s a brand that carries history, reputation, memory and trust with equity that has real value. Travel internationally, and the Eden Park name often opens a conversation.…

A meticulously designed 11-hole golf course, complete with a bunker, set across our hallowed turf is not something most people would typically associate with Eden Park. But from today, that’s exactly what we’ve got. With tee boxes positioned around the stadium and players hitting approach shots towards custom-built greens on the pitch, G9 is part…

Most people go to a stadium to watch the action on the field or on the stage, and while that may be the main reason they are there, in a modern stadium, the overall experience is shaped by much more than that. When they’re at a large stadium like Eden Park, screens are generally one…

In just a few days, on 10 April, the Resource Management (Auckland Unitary Plan Modification (Eden Park)) Regulations 2026 will come into force. These changes are transformational for our operating model, enabling us to operate like a modern, world-class stadium. But the legislation does more than that. It states in black and white in New…

Last weekend was one of the busiest we have had at Eden Park for some time, but what made it especially significant was not just the number of events; it was the diversity of those events. Across four days, we hosted five events: This was not four days of the same sport or of the…

Today I joined a panel discussion at the launch of the 2026 Acumen Edelman Trust Barometer, which reinforced something I strongly believe: trust does not just happen. It must be built deliberately. One of the discussion points today was the finding that three-quarters of New Zealanders are hesitant to trust people with different values, beliefs…