Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has come out fighting against a charity concert planned for Eden Park next year to raise money for a baby incubator scheme.
Ms Clark has submitted her disagreement to Auckland Council saying the concert was simply a "Trojan horse" to allow the council's park management division to hold more noisey concerts at the venue in the future.
She criticised the planning application proposed by Eden Park for not including any details about noise limit, which would impact the 4000 homes within a 1km diameter circle around it. Mt Smart stadium only has 93 homes within the equivalent zone.
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But Ms Clark said she's not opposed to the concert's cause. The concert, planned by former New Zealander of the Year Sir Ray Avery, aims to raise $4 million to make 2000 LifePod baby incubators, each of which would save 50 lives a year over the 10 years it remained operational, NZME reports.
In her submission Ms Clark said: "The proposed charity element is not directly related to the concert nor specific to this venue in any meaningful or concrete fashion within the application."
"There is no explanation or evidence of what the charity funding components are, and why they could not be achieved elsewhere," she added, going on to suggest that the funds could be raised in other ways, such as a dinner and a telethon, Newsroom reports.
The Eden Park Neighbours Association sided with Ms Clark, saying Eden Park aims to become "concert central" making it New Zealand's "loudest venue, in its most inappropriate location".
When it was announced in June that Auckland's Western Springs Speedway would be repurposed as a cricket ground, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff suggested Eden Park could be used to host more concerts, since it would no longer host cricket matches.
Mr Goff is said to be a supporter of the charity concert, alongside Auckland Council chief executive Stephen Town, Auckland councillor Christine Fletcher, Auckland RSA and others, according to NZME.
But the Eden Park Neighbours Association says the concert application "highlights their continued belief they should have no constraints, by having no noise limit".
"By applying without a noise limit, they appear to want to ignore the residential constraints and to run an event at whatever set up and noise level they want - regardless of impacts on the neighbourhood."
The concert - proposed to take place on Waitangi Day, February 6 - is the start of a push by Eden Park to host up to six concerts a year, Eden Park Neighbours Association says.
Newshub.
