Western Springs Stadium closed after major flooding damage

Western Springs Stadium is closed after significant flooding damage, with no guarantee of when it will reopen.  

The stadium is home to numerous concerts, Western Springs Speedway and the Ponsonby Rugby Club. 

Director of Stadiums at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited James Parkinson recalled the night of the Auckland anniversary floods at Western Springs Stadium. 

“We had water right through in this main stadium, probably roughly halfway up the speedway concrete wall. 

“They had over 600mm of water through the main building, the water [was] just cascading down these slopes.” 

It has been closed to the public ever since, with a long list of repairs. 

The electrical wiring needed to be fully replaced, the club rooms were contaminated, the carpark was sinking and slips and damaged fencing had closed off the grandstand seating and toilets. 

While some concerts hosted at the next door Western Springs Park managed to go ahead relying on generators and limited space, that was not possible for those reliant on the stadium. 

General manager of Western Springs Speedway John McCallum said the venue was crucial for them.   

“It’s iconic for speedway, not only in New Zealand but around the world, it’s known as the home of the speedway … it’s a huge blow to us to have our home taken away.” 

John McCallum.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

The season runs from October to March. Off the back of Covid-19 they had their comeback hopes pinned on this summer, with thousands of fans expected from around the world to attend their meetings. 

“When you’re budgeting on 12 meetings and you only run five, with a couple of rainouts and the ones lost, that makes an enormous impact on our business.” 

With this season off the table, McCallum said they were hoping to be back in action by the start of the next one in October.  

Western Springs.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

“It would be crucial for us to start the season and nice to be able to, as we did this year, look ahead… so let’s hope, fingers crossed, next year we don’t have anything else.”

An updated report is due in a few months’ time to indicate whether or not that might be possible. 

Parkinson said they have had no indication on when they could reopen. 

“Hope is probably the word that we’re trying to hang onto right now. We really will not know what the outlook is beyond June.” 

With rugby season around the corner, Ponsonby Rugby Club was searching for other venues to relocate to. 

Auckland Unlimited is facing sharp cuts to its funding in the new budget. 

Public consultation on the council’s budget is now open, and final decision will be made at the end of June.