Andrew Dickens: There's one piece of infrastructure working well- Eden Park

Andrew Dickens Afternoons

Infrastructure is hogging the headlines as Labour and National push separate priorities.

Unfortunately both priorities are pressing. But this is the New Zealand way. We ration our spending which invariably means everything costs more and happens too late.

But there is a much criticised piece of infrastructure that is currently working very well.

I'm talking about Eden Park which is taking a starring turn at the Women's World Cup.

The weekend game of Spain versus Switzerland saw a new record for a football match in New Zealand. 43,217 spectators for a game that featured no New Zealanders. It's the third time the record has been set in the tournament as the audience enjoys the experience enough to go multiple times.

Now where I live has been the base for a number of travelling supporters of teams and I have taken the time to have a chat to them about their experience.

The love the stadium. They say it's quirky and has character and they are aware of the venue's history. They're a little surprised at the the lack of rooves but that is also a part of its charm.

They've been impressed how quickly the stadium empties and how easy it was to train back to the city.

Back in the city they've loved our restaurants. One couple I talked to from New York couldn't believe the quality of their meals and their prices compared to restaurants back home.

A family from Arkansas raved to me about the Commercial Bay food hall, saying how quick and cheap and good the meals were for a family.

They've also used the fan zone a lot, which is right beside the construction site where 2 people were shot dead at the start of the tournament. When I asked them if they had seen anything scary they said no.

In fact, everyone commented on how nice New Zealanders are and how many people had gone out of their way to help and talk to them.

It's worth remembering that the USA team alone brought 15,000 supporters with them, and so far I've yet to find a supporter who will not go home and rave about our country. Meanwhile their boost to the local economy has been very welcome.

All this stands in direct contrast to many New Zealanders who believe that we've lost our mojo and our ambition and we are becoming the laughing stock of the world.

We're halfway through and the Women's World Cup is proving to be an outstanding success on a global scale. Well done. Let's bid for the men's event, shall we?

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