In a slick promo video pushing Aucklanders to speak their mind on issues related to the region in the AK Have Your Say annual budget consultation, Mayor Brown references the 1991 Seven News clip of infamous credit card fraudster Jack Carlson being arrested by Queensland Police.
“Remember, this is your city,” says Mayor Brown.
“We’re your elected officials. This is your opportunity to tell us what you want to prioritise. This is democracy manifest!”
And yet, the people of Auckland have not had a chance to have their voice heard on the future of one of the city’s most iconic sporting institutions. This is democracy manifest, perhaps as Jack Carlson meant it.
Process has been a sticking point in the whole saga. From the outset, Auckland Council’s economic development agency Tātaki Auckland Unlimited has been criticised.
A presentation to Auckland Council cited letters of support for the consolidation of open-wheel racing activity at Western Springs to Waikaraka Park, the home of saloon racing in the region. Two of those letters of support were later withdrawn after the authors felt they had been misled about the closure of Western Springs.
Nevertheless, Auckland Council voted in favour of the consolidation – despite not once asking the people who pay to watch whether they wanted the doors shuttered.
Consultation was limited to the incumbent Western Springs promoter, one competitor, a commentator, and the saloon car club at Waikaraka Park, Speedway New Zealand and the TQ Midget Association. The latter pair withdrew.
At the end of the five-hour meeting, it was clear the councillors were exhausted – but such a decision shouldn’t be taken so lightly to throw away nearly 100 years of history, notwithstanding the years of agonising over the facility’s future.
Regardless of whether the right or wrong decision was made, process matters; and for the user base to not be consulted flies in the face of “democracy manifest”.
Auckland citizens, it’s time to talk money. YOUR money.
The annual plan (budget) is up for public consultation. So read it and give is your feedback. pic.twitter.com/O3HPsTGhwd— Mayor Wayne Brown (@MayorWayneBrown) March 11, 2025
The fate of Western Springs has always been fraught. Neighbouring noise complaints have continually strangled promoters, past and present, at the venue.
In the heated meeting last year, Mayor Brown noted Auckland Council-imposed restrictions on the venue that limits Western Springs to just 12 meetings per season.
The venue costs ratepayers $1.1 million per annum because of those restrictions. It’s chicken and egg stuff. If not for the restrictions, there would undoubtedly be more racing at Western Springs – and perhaps a profit would be possible.
The Save our Speedway group trying desperately to keep racing at Western Springs firmly believe under the right conditions the venue can turn a profit. Only this week, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called for Auckland Council to lift restrictions on Eden Park to expand its portfolio of events to make it a more profitable venue.
Western Springs has had to fight for its survival for decades. Multiple proposals have been put forward year after year, with various ideas ranging from test match cricket venues to football stadiums.
Last year’s decision by Auckland Council to consolidate open-wheel racing to Waikaraka Park thanks to an $11 million facelift could be the final nail in the coffin. The incumbent promoter has no desire to continue at Western Springs even if it is saved. Mayor Brown offered an ultimatum: take the $11 million or leave it – regardless, speedway racing would cease at Western Springs.
Behind the scenes, Save our Speedway campaigners have met with the Auckland Council, who say that no decision has been made on the future of Western Springs. At the same time, the first proposals for the future use of Western Springs have come to light – all with no mention of racing.
In any case, Auckland Council appears hellbent on kicking speedway out and redeveloping Western Springs to better utilise the facility, in its view Auckland Council said it will decide which of the proposals it likes the most before putting it to the public. Whether keeping Western Springs in its current guise as a speedway venue remains to be seen, but would seem unlikely.
The brutal reality for fans is that nothing will replace Western Springs. No $11 million upgrade to Waikaraka Park can match the lustre of Western Springs.
Non-motorsport fans will say that it’s just a circle of dirt, but the cult following that’s attached to the venue is unmatched anywhere in the country. It is to speedway fans what Mt Smart is to the Warriors or the Cake Tin for the Wellington Phoenix.
Every summer, New Zealand’s best racing drivers converge on Western Springs over the Christmas and New Year period. The likes of Scott Dixon, Shane van Gisbergen, Mitch Evans, Nick Cassidy, Earl Bamber, and plenty more roam free among the thousands of onlookers, often to witness some of the world’s best like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.
Whether that fanfare transfers to Waikaraka Park remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine the same would be true. There is nothing quite like the amphitheatre of Western Springs.
At a time when it’s hard enough to get Aucklanders to turn up to sport, decimating an established and loyal fanbase seems foolhardy – but what would they know? Speedway fans deserve a fair go.
Save our Speedway campaigners to march in protest of eviction
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