Thank God
The Herald reports:
The Government will not be supporting a bid to host the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, Prime Minister John Key said today.
Mr Key said the 2018 games would come with a price tag of nearly $600 million.
The Government share of that was to have been half. …
And Stuff:
“The Government had considered the value from tourism spin-offs and a rise in the country’s profile but decided the losses outweighed the gains.
“The economic loss was so great that we just couldn’t justify it.”
Key said the Government’s support of the Rugby World Cup was different. “The Rugby World Cup has a big cost in terms of investing in stadiums but not in terms of the actual running of the event. The Commonwealth Games it was largely an operating loss for running the event.”
It would be easier to just burn half a billion dollars of bank notes than host the Games.
March 16th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
First off, I should clarify that watching virtually any sporting contest (unless it involves one of my children) is a sure route to narcolepsy, so on a personal level I could care less.
But how is this different to the RWC? Vast outlay, fingers crossed at least some of it comes back in tourist dollars. Any difference is in number of votes likely to be gained and little else, I suspect.
March 16th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
1/2 a Billion dollars. Heck that would pay for 50% of Mallards big waterfront stadium.
March 16th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Unless it was a foreign currency, I wouldn’t see that making much of a difference…
March 16th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
With financial prophecy as that, he could have saved the world of the Great Recession! But here’s the man who after offering thousands to soccer which is privately owned says it’s not profitable? Yes, funding a private business like it’s a bank bonus hand out of tax payer money..
But how can you develop a united symbol of NZ associated with sports when you only have a one sided view of reality.
Maybe his financial adviser was a deprived skinny shute who hates children dreaming of becoming sports persons…
March 16th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Don’t ever appear on any sports presentation, kreep!
March 16th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
How much to the yachties?
How much to the rugger buggers?
How much to the wogball poofs?
How much for the public toilets on Auckland’s waterfront?
Come on Hone, that’s a good start, but claw back the money from these other blood suckers.
March 16th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
And not to forget, although I nearly did, the massive recent handout to Weta
March 16th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Great!
What the commonwealth should do though is let zimbabwae back in and let them re-bankrupt themselves with the games
March 16th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
What a pity the previous government did not take the same stance with the Rugby World cup.
March 16th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
@ big bruv – agree 100%
March 16th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
“What a pity the previous government did not take the same stance with the Rugby World cup.”
Once upon a time, Labour had an open chequebook !
March 16th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
@ Angus yeah with other people’s money!
March 16th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Half a billion, big deal, that is only half a years tax take from the ETS
March 16th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
I somehow think the Labour Party does not see the distinction between a huge operating loss (for the games) v’s a large capital cost (the RWC) that produces permanent assets. And that huge operating loss probably involves a massive security operation especially given the countries that will be participating. The costs of security may destroy our capacity to host future games of any sort.
March 16th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
“It would be easier to just burn half a billion dollars of bank notes than host the Games”.
or.. throw it down a deep dark hole that is Auckland.
Brian has lost his job to Key.. the real GOD of NZ.
March 16th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
These sporting events are good for rich people and corporates and we have so many other things that the money could be better spent on.
Pity they don’t take the same view of $100 mill they want to waste on party central. Something those outside Auckland get no benefit from either.
March 16th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
DPF:
big bruv:
FFS, I agree with both of you – that is probably a first. Government has a role in fostering amateur sport. These are professional sporting events, and as such, those professional sporting organisations involved should pay their own way.
Much as I would love, as a major cricket fan, to see the Government sink a few million dollars into elite cricket coaching, I (reluctantly) concede that is not the role of Government.
All the same, worked a treat for East Germany pre-unification. Perhaps we should do it after all – but just for cricket!
Oh, shit, I’m digging myself in deeper! Better quit while I’m ahead.
March 16th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Welcome to the right side Toad.
I suspect that few people love sport more than I do but it is not the place of our government to be spending my money on Rugby/Cricket/Yachting/Special Olympics etc….
March 16th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
@toad .. Oh, shit, I’m digging myself in deeper! Better quit while I’m ahead.
@big bruv .. Welcome to the right side Toad.
Well it had to happen..Toad would be influenced by the Blogs he reads and the Bloggers he associates with… here on DPF’s Kiwiblog.
It got me to Toad … I thought it was a moderate right wing site.. its turned out to be a full blown ACT blogsite.
March 16th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
Auckland is a easy drive for half of New Zealand and a plane trip for the rest. Of course Auckland is the logical choice for anything major. Don’t be fooled by Wellington’s central position. it is far less accessible for New Zealanders with that dreadful airport and a long drive for everyone else except for the lower North Island.
March 16th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Nah, RKBee – I’ve always felt that way. No influence from here, or from Clint, Gooner, Adolf, BTP, big bruv etc far further to the right.
Just my own thoughts, as a greenie. No role for the state in subsidising big business. Giving a boost to small businesses starting up, yes, I can run with that. Good idea!
March 16th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I support the government’s decision to cancel Auckland’s bid for the Commonwealth games but I would also like to point out that it doesn’t come without its losses.
With the announcement of Auckland’s nomination to host the Rugby World Cup for 2011, our government (including regional and local councils) went ballistic with fast-forwarding a number of infrastructural projects – projects that may have taken many more years had our bid to host the world cup been unsuccessful.
In fact, Auckland’s railway network has invested significantly in all of its station points at the encouragement of central government, in time for the world cup.
It seems that the only way to fast-forward more of Auckland’s infrastructure proposals (a second harbour crossing, train stations linking the international airport with Westfield Manukau City and other state highway improvements) is to host international events: the Commonwealth Games would have been most ideal in this case.
Just my thoughts.
March 16th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Next Commonwealth Games in New Plymouth then..
March 16th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Wow, not even three weeks of Government borrowing.
I guess the Goverment is waiting to put a bid in for the Olympics in 2020. Imagine the handover ceremony in Brazil in 2016 as the Olympic Flag is handed over to the next Olympic city, Wellington.
March 17th, 2010 at 12:30 am
I can just see it now: a series of giant, mechanical weta parading around the Copacabana Olympic Stadium at the end of the closing ceremony followed by the hoisting of the flag of tino rangatiratanga.
March 17th, 2010 at 6:54 am
NZ hosting an olympic games?!
In the name of all that is sacred please don’t even joke about it!
March 17th, 2010 at 7:53 am
No there is some merit in it. Instead of those inane stupid opening ceremonies, we could just have a really big barbie. Tell people to bring their own snags, we’ll provide the bread.
March 17th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Apart from the pastimes of the rich, the fate of public sports is sealed in a coffin of National’s captives. No more folk heroes, no more Dick Taylors, no more John Walkers, no more Filbert Baye no more classic 1500 tradition, no more All Blacks, no more dreams, no more children… And there goes the Weet-Bix, the Milkbar, the Milo, the Fish Chocolate, ……
March 17th, 2010 at 8:44 am
More shortsightedness by this government, although as an Aucklander I am pleased they put us before their self interest.
Think about it, a successful and popular Commonwealth Games – what a lead in to National’s bid to win three in row!
March 17th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Your freudian slip is showing RKBee. toad is actually paid by the greens to troll here.
You all would know moderate if it ran you over in a moderate-mobile on Moderate Highway running through Moderateville at moderate o’clock.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Given that GDP has fallen 2.2% since they took over (and GDP per capita is still falling), would anyone trust them to run a major sporting event?
Leave it to the Ozzies.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:27 am
The Commonwealth games are irrelevant, I would be surprised if they last much longer. Who were the other bidders? Zimbabwe and Kenya
March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
No I’m happy Auckland doesn’t get to party in three years time.
they have far more serious things to spend our money on.
like infrastructure for one!
March 17th, 2010 at 9:41 am
This is of course a reflection of NZ’s deteriorating relative wealth.
NZ’s golden age has certainly ended.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:46 am
I think it’s more a reflection on the growing cost of major multi sport events.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Once upon a time I would have questioned both the “common” and the “wealth” but with successive totalitarian governments introducing disgusting and disgraceful democracy destroying legislation while doing nothing about a fast failing, overburdened by non-producer beneficiaries economy I suspect NZ now has heaps in common with the third world dictatorships that make up the Commonwealth.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:41 am
When will we next be able to afford to host the games? I’ve gone back through the list of countries that have hosted to games since 1930. If we don’t host the games in 2022 (our next opportunity) it’ll be 32 years since the Auckland games.
The other gaps were: 1950 to ’74; ’74 to ’90.
The games are always more expensive to run that previous ones, but we’ve managed it in the past.
Are we less able to afford to do it now? Is this a sign of our economic decline?
March 17th, 2010 at 10:49 am
I agree MT_Tinman except that we are now third World… we have always been a third World economy pushing above our weight… now we have a leader that is being reasponsable in telling us we have to manage that push within our means.. thats not common to other third world dictorships.
@Murray 8:48 am
noted.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Actually we aren’t third world, we are more like 1.5 world. But we are going to be first world shortly after the drilling starts.
March 17th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Isn’t it refreshing to have a Government that does not suffer from financial incontinence, and is actually able to say “no” to a spending proposal.
Supporters of the bid should remember that that cash would have had to come from somewhere else, and there might be better investments to make with it – possibly including by taxpayers themselves.