Eden Park has revealed it will no longer host school balls after residents complained about disruptive behaviour and noise.
A spokesperson for Eden Park said students weren't necessarily responsible for the disruption but people on the streets at the time of the events were causing distress.
It comes after a local complained to Newshub last month about the park hosting school events.
"We have lived opposite Eden Park for 27 years and have experienced everything from the initial demolition of the north stand, to the moving and removal of houses for the Rugby World Cup, but nothing so far comes close to the school ball season," they said.
The local said the events were "nothing short of a complete nightmare for residents" and urged the park to stop hosting them.
"We have burn outs, people on top of cars, patched gang members blocking the street, constant external speakers and intimidating ball goers - not to mention the fear.
"Without fail this occurs every year and has been reported in the news on several previous occasions."
In a statement to the NZ Herald on Friday, an Eden Park spokesperson said the park had contacted other venues to confirm they were available and could host the schools instead. They said the schools had also been informed.
The spokesperson said the decision to stop hosting school balls hadn't been made lightly and they were aware of the significance they held for students.
"However, we need to balance this with our responsibility to our residents who live adjacent to, or near Eden Park, and the safety of our staff.
"We know the schools will be deeply disappointed, as are we, that the disruptive and potentially dangerous behaviour of a few people in the streets around Eden Park that has occurred while students have been dropped off or collected, has now impacted a much wider group of young people," they told NZ Herald.
It's not the first time locals have complained about noise caused by the stadium. In 2021 the venue was finally given approval to host concerts after pushback from locals including former Prime Minister Helen Clark.
