Plan to deliver certainty on anchor projects progressing

The Government will fast-track detailed work on the shape and budget of Christchurch’s new stadium as part of its work to speed up the sporting anchor projects in the central city, says Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods.

Speaking to a meeting of the city’s sporting codes today, Minister Woods laid out the next steps in completing the long awaited facilities.

“I made it clear in November that the $75 million budget blowout the last Government didn’t reveal before the election was incredibly disappointing. I tasked officials with two pieces of work – fixing the budget blowout and delivering a credible timeline for completion of the MSF, as well as investigating whether there might be benefits to co-locating the facilities.

“I’d asked for an initial stop-gate report to see whether the budget blowout could be easily fixed and whether it was worth investigating co-location in more detail. After receiving that report, it’s clear more work is needed.

“Otakaro have also advised me that the design work on the current plan for the MSF has been virtually completed. However, the projected costings are still tens of millions of dollars above the allocated funding.

“With one facility still over budget and the other without a budget even set, it is clear to me that we can’t make decisions about these projects in isolation. We won’t continue the siloed thinking that has contributed to the delays we have seen under the previous Government.

“I am determined we speed up progress and deliver the high quality facilities Cantabrians deserve.

“To that end, I have instructed officials to work with Council and local experts on fast-tracking detailed work on the shape and cost of the stadium that can be turned into a completed business case.

“At that point we will be able to make informed decisions about the shape and budget of both facilities. This work will be completed on the March/April timeline laid out in November. This means there is no delay in taking a closer look at options while this work progresses.

“This government is determined to provide clear timelines and a budget that taxpayers can have confidence in. That is the type of certainty our recovery needs – not the endless delays and blowouts we’ve seen in years past.

“This plan will ensure Cantabrians get facilities they can be proud of and faster progress on the regeneration of our city,” says Megan Woods.

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