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So, Auckland looks like it’s doing it again: dilly dallying in decision making about big stuff.  

A council advisory group has informed us that neither the fancy waterfront stadium nor an upgrade of Eden Park is considered feasible.  

The full council still must vote on it on Thursday, so we’ll see if anyone has some balls.   

Now by "not feasible" they mean not viable without public funding. We don’t seem to have a charitable billionaire in our midst so the dough would have to come from the public purse.  

This is a question every major city wrestles with, but other cities seem to be braver.  

This week Brisbane has casually announced a new stadium to host the Olympics, calming putting nearly four billion dollars on the line. 

We’re a growing nation. We need a venue for the events that come in 2025. Whether it’s big sport or big concerts.

We’ve seen how much fun Eden Park has been this week, three different sports in one week.  

It would be great to have a venue that’s modern, complete, and full of character.  

I love stadiums. I’m super excited about Canterbury’s Te Kaha. Forsyth Barr is great, and Sky Stadium just needs new seats and maybe a roof.  

But what do I want for Auckland?

Now first I have to admit that Eden Park has given me tickets to events, but I would be happy for the waterfront stadium to go ahead. We’d never regret it  

I’m also happy for an Eden Park upgrade, after all Sydney ripped down the perfectly functional Sydney football stadium and completely replaced it.  

But it really is time for someone to put their neck on the block and just do it.  

Every city needs a Cathedral, and every city needs an iconic stadium.