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Te Kaha is slated to open in April 2026 (Photo: supplied)
Te Kaha is slated to open in April 2026 (Photo: supplied)

The BulletinJuly 15, 2022

Christchurch gets its stadium, questions about funding remain

Te Kaha is slated to open in April 2026 (Photo: supplied)
Te Kaha is slated to open in April 2026 (Photo: supplied)

The council voted 13-3 in favour and will now work on how to cover the increased cost. A sports economist described the likely benefits as “happiness” and not economic return, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in The Bulletin.

 

Christchurch is getting its stadium, questions about funding remain

Christchurch city councillors voted yesterday, 13-3 in favour of proceeding with Te Kaha at the costs of $683m. Newsroom’s David Williams writes in support of the three councillors who dissented. The debate about proceeding may have ended but the discussion about how to cover the cost will go on. Stuff’s Steve Walton breaks down the forecast rates increases for Christchurch residents over the next six years, while councillors say they want to reduce this by finding other ways to pay for the stadium. The planned opening date is set down for April 2026. The decision was premised on the agreement to a fixed price for the project’s completion. I expect everyone will be watching that like a hawk given the current construction cost environment.

58% of all submitters on the stadium consultation were men, 39% were woman

An analysis of the nearly 30,000 submissions made about the stadium shows that those in favour were more likely to be young and, by a small margin, men. 58% of all submitters were men, 39% were women. This is an interesting read from the US about why ​​politicians subsidise stadiums despite a lack of popular support. Hard to say that the will of the people wasn’t in play in Christchurch, with 77% of the 29,978 valid submissions in favour of proceeding. It’s still fair to say there are questions about how much value will be delivered given the body of research that suggests stadiums are money pits. Victor Matheson, a sports economist, says the benefit is best quantified using intangible metrics like happiness.

A response to the plea that Auckland’s Eden Park needs the Christchurch stadium built

Former New Zealand Rugby communications chief Brian Finn has written a humdinger on Eden Park. He writes in response to an opinion piece on the Herald from Eden Park trust board chair, Doug McKay. Finn describes the piece as a thinly veiled plea for yet more Auckland ratepayer funding. McKay wrote that Eden Park needs the Christchurch stadium built to attract global events to New Zealand. Finn notes the irony in McKay giving advice in light of Eden Park’s attempts to become more than a sports ground. In good news for Eden Park and Billy Joel fans, Joel will perform there on December 3.

Submission made in song

I can think of no better place to end this on a Friday than by offering you this review from The Spinoff’s Sam Brooks of a performance of the John Lennon classic, Imagine at yesterday’s council meeting. We did not imagine this, it did happen. The vocalist was Peter Morrison from Hospitality NZ. Morrison was interviewed by Lisa Owen on Checkpoint last night and said he’d been told he would not be the first act to perform at the stadium. He went on to sing Moon River at the request of Owen. For your listening pleasure, here is his encore performance.

Keep going!
Covid response minister Ayesha Verrall will announce new Covid measures this afternoon (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)
Covid response minister Ayesha Verrall will announce new Covid measures this afternoon (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)

The BulletinJuly 14, 2022

New measures to combat Covid at orange, Greens call for clarity

Covid response minister Ayesha Verrall will announce new Covid measures this afternoon (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)
Covid response minister Ayesha Verrall will announce new Covid measures this afternoon (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)

As Covid case numbers rise, a move to red has been ruled out raising questions around the purpose of the traffic light system and a lack of clarity, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in The Bulletin.

 

Wastewater testing shows case numbers are rising much faster than expected

As the Herald’s Claire Trevett reported last night, today’s announcement about our ongoing response to Covid is tipped to include a provision of more free rapid antigen test (RATs) and masks. The provision of RATs is based on concerns that people aren’t testing and isolating. This morning the Herald is reporting that wastewater testing is showing that case numbers are rising much faster than expected. No changes to the current mask rules and isolation periods for the orange setting are expected. Covid response minister Ayesha Verrall will make the announcement this afternoon, after cabinet met on Monday. Stuff’s Kate Newton and Keith Lynch outline what we’re currently up against, taking a look at reinfections and why we’ll see more hospitalisations with this wave.

What is the red setting for? 

Yesterday prime minister Jacinda Ardern once again ruled out a return to “red”. We are back to hospitalisation and case numbers that mirror late March and early April this year when we were last in the red setting. The government’s position on the efficacy of restricting numbers at gatherings has been backed by some experts who want a focus on mask-wearing and ventilation. As Siouxsie Wiles writes “it’s well past time for the Covid Protection Framework to be revamped so that it focuses on ways we know we can reduce the spread of Covid through the air”. Terrible segue but also hanging in the air is a legitimate question about what the red setting, and indeed the traffic light system, is for. Perhaps an even worse variant that’s specifically not an iteration of the current variant?

What if new versions of omicron are more transmissible? 

That seemed to be the gist of the ministry of health’s scenario planning to tackle new variants, announced three weeks ago. Outgoing director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said “we’re assuming that the new variant has to be more transmissible than omicron”. But what if new versions of omicron are more transmissible? Virologists have voiced concerns about the emergence of another fast-spreading omicron variant BA.2.75 (nicknamed “Centaurus”), which is rapidly gaining a foothold in India and has already arrived in the UK. Wastewater testing results report that four cases have been found in New Zealand, all of which are currently associated with the border.

Greens call for return to clarity, say messaging is muddled

I don’t ask these questions as someone attempting a “gotcha”, I ask them as a person trying to reconcile the traffic light settings with the scenario planning and the current situation. Maybe I have some nostalgia for the clear communications of 2020. The Green party is calling for a return to that clarity saying the government’s messaging has become “muddled”. In a report from the ABC yesterday about rising cases in Australia, bioethicist Dr Diego Silva said people should demand that governments make the reasoning behind their decisions explicit. It’s a fair point, albeit in the context of the federated system in Australia. When we are being asked to essentially take individual responsibility for protecting our own health and the health of those around us, wouldn’t more knowledge be power? Or are we past absorbing it any more?

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