The stadium debate is raging in Christchurch again and this time it's the central city businesses that are up in arms.
Over half of businesses surveyed say they invested in the city based on a stadium at 30,000 capacity and more than 90 percent say they don't agree with the smaller stadium council decided upon.
Plenty of money has been invested in Christchurch's central city post-quake and many of those who invested it are furious with the council's decision to reduce the capacity of the new covered stadium.
"All of our members are very, very angry," says Annabel Turley of the Central City Business Association.
"We were all pretty gutted," says Mike Percasky from Riverside Market.
"Everyone is very, very disappointed," says Richard Sinke from Dux Group.
A survey by the Central City Business Association found 91 percent of business owners don't agree with the council's decision to reduce stadium capacity to 25,000, over 90 percent think it's short-sighted and think neighbouring councils should contribute to the funding.
Nearly half say they invested in the city based on a bigger multi-use arena that should have been completed in 2017.
"I don't think those councillors who voted to reduce the capacity really understand how desperate we are for that stadium to be built," says Turley.
"The promise from the council and Government was that it would be four years away, that was four years ago and we're still four years away, so the businesses are doing it very tough," says Percasky.
"We're still discussing and arguing over the stadium and the numbers and the final cost," says Sinke.
But the mayor says they're not budging and it's not worth the $88 million price tag for extra capacity for what she says might be for one test match a year.
"It was a lot of money for a one night stand," says Lianne Dalziel.
Dalziel says the focus should be on the concert capacity, which is 36,000.
"All of the businesses that have invested on that basis are going to see the benefit of it."
But the business owners aren't buying it, in both hospitality and retail.
"We haven't had a bumper weekend with a test match for over 10 years so they're feeling really ripped off and just really gutted," says Turley.
"That's why they invested money, that's why we invested money, bars were set up and the foot traffic is just not there as a result of no stadium," says Percasky.
Business owners are clinging on to hope that public opinion could still sway the council to rethink the decision.
