New stadium approved for Dunedin

Dunedin City Council councillors have voted by a clear majority to commit to the Carisbrook Stadium Trust's vision for a new roofed stadium for the city.
While the Council's $90 million contributioh to the $188 million project was given the go-ahead in a 12-2 vote, Mayor Peter Chin included a list of twelve conditions for the project. These include the sale of Carisbrook and the raising of $45 million from the private sector, and despite uncertain economic times the council remains confident.
The plans, featured in the last two issues of this magazine, are for a 30,000 multipurpose indoor venue.
Last year, New Zealand's Auditor-General carried out an inquiry into the project's funding because of the amount of ratepayer funds that might be contributed to the stadium, the relationship with a non-council controlled organisation and the uncertainty within the region about council involvement.
The inquiry found the Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council funding arrangements were appropriate as neither council had committed to fund it.
However, it said a formal and robust funding framework would need to be put into place should either council make a firm commitment to fund the construction phase of the project.