Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:653;Page:2568] 
PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
 on behalf of  
Hon Murray McCully (National—East Coast Bays) 
: I move  
That the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill be now read a first time. 
 At the appropriate time I will move that the bill be considered by the Government Administration Committee. 
This bill is promoted by the Eden Park Trust Board. It introduces changes to the governance arrangements for Eden Park New Zealand’s largest stadium and one with a rich sporting and social history and an iconic international reputation. Eden Park has been named as the finals venue for the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and it is likely to be included in the venues for New Zealand’s co-hosting of the Cricket World Cup in 2015. But it had more humble beginnings. In 1899 the Kingsland Cricket Club leased a large space cleared it of rocks and used the space for friendly games. The Eden District Cricket Club purchased 15 acres in 1903 and the park was formally opened on 9 November 1903. 
 The land was in constant danger of flooding at that time and was often completely submerged. Difficulties with the site continued and in 1910 the Auckland Cricket Association purchased the grounds with funds guaranteed by a number of Auckland gentlemen who became the registered proprietors of the park and in essence the first trustees. 
In 1914 the Auckland Rugby Football Union entered into a 21-year lease of the park for every football season and hence began the joint use of the ground. The inception of the lease allowed the drainage to be improved and the original grandstands to be built one by Auckland rugby and one by Auckland cricket. The stand built by Auckland cricket remains today and overlooks the outer oval. In 1924 the trustees the Auckland Cricket Association and the Auckland Rugby Football Union entered into an agreement whereby the beneficial interests of the two sporting bodies were recognised by the trustees. A board of control comprising representatives of the three parties was set up to manage the park. In 1955 the Eden Park Trust Act was passed giving the complex arrangements the force of law and it provided the basis on which the developments over the past 50 years were instigated. 
Over the years the park has been the venue for many notable events far too numerous for me to name today. Some of the highlights have been the New Zealand cricket team’s first-ever test victory in 1957 not to mention its lowest-ever score against England 2 years earlier; the 1992 Cricket World Cup opening match and semi-final; the All Blacks’ first Bledisloe Cup match in 1931; and the unforgettable Springbok test of 1956 in front of over 61000 spectators. For me the favourite is of course the victory in the final of the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. The park has also been the venue for the 1950 British Empire Games the 1988 Rugby League World Cup final hockey tests against India and Pakistan football internationals and athletics events including the Auckland school athletics championships from 1939 to 1965. In addition the park has been used for public events including royal visits and religious events. 
I now come to the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill which makes amendments to the Eden Park Trust Act 1955 to implement new governance arrangements for Eden Park. In order to meet the International Rugby Board’s requirements as a finals venue for the Rugby World Cup it is necessary to redevelop the park by expanding its capacity so as to accommodate over 60000 spectators for the Rugby World Cup in 2011. The Crown and the Eden Park Trust Board have agreed on matters relating to the funding and management of the redevelopment and the establishment of a new structure for the long-term governance of Eden Park. The trustees the Auckland Cricket Association and the Auckland Rugby Football Union recognise the significant financial contribution that is being made to the redevelopment of the park by this Government and they have agreed to open the governance and use of the park to the wider community in partnership with Auckland cricket and Auckland rugby. 
The new governance structure will ensure the recognition of the interests and rights of the park’s beneficiary bodies the public ownership interest in the park and the desire for broader community use to be made of the venue. A trust deed has been prepared and it sets out the detail of the new governance arrangements. The deed is modelled on that which is in place for the Westpac Stadium right here in Wellington. The deed is incorporated as a schedule of the bill and it sets out the new constitution functions and powers of the Eden Park Trust Board. The trust deed broadens both the community involvement in the ground and the park’s uses. It makes provision for five Crown-appointed trustees from the wider Auckland region and one each from the Auckland Rugby Football Union and the Auckland Cricket Association together with two appointments from the current trust board. After 3 years the current board members will be replaced by one each from the Auckland Rugby Football Union and the Auckland Cricket Association. The deed also includes provisions to deal with the transition from the current trust board to the newly established board. 
The redevelopment of Eden Park is on schedule to be completed by October 2010. It is highly desirable that the new board of trustees is in place as early as possible to enable appropriate governance and management operations to be in place prior to the completion of the redevelopment. 
I pay tribute to the current trustees of the Eden Park Trust Board who are promoting this bill and to the members of the board of control former and current trustees and members of both Auckland cricket and Auckland rugby who have for over a century given their time unselfishly and been responsible for developing the park. Through their endeavours and their commitment Auckland has a sporting stadium that is internationally recognised. Eden Park has played host to a wide variety of sporting and other events and brought a large economic benefit to Auckland and it has achieved all of that as an independent trust.