Warriors owner Eric Watson thinks the proposed new waterfront stadium in downtown Auckland should be a key issue in the mayoralty race this year.
The rich-lister has put his money where his mouth is and is prepared to help fund the new stadium, along with a number of investor friends.
Prime Minister John Key has ruled out any taxpayer funding but Regional Facilities Auckland has reignited the idea, which was considered before the 2011 Rugby World Cup but ditched in favour of more investment into Eden Park.
"You have a mayoralty race coming up and I think you should be asking the candidates, 'Tell us the vision for a downtown stadium,'" Watson said.
"Clearly everyone is interested in the opportunity and no one really wants to put their hand in their pocket, it should be self-funding."
Watson thinks investors see Auckland as an "aspirational city" and a downtown stadium would regenerate parts of the CBD.
"It's a high-growth opportunity to invest in a stadium properly managed, properly organised and, surrounded with other commercial activities, it would be very interesting to a number of investors.
"The last thing we want is what Eden Park has evolved into. We want something that Auckland can be proud of."
The capacity of the stadium has been highly debated, with Watson saying it depends on what happens to Eden Park.
"If you're not keeping Eden Park, you probably need a Suncorp Stadium [which has a capacity of 50,000] with suites and eight or nine or 10 different tiers of ticket pricing, and all sorts of other facilities.
"If Eden Park is going to be around to cater for those very large, once- or twice-a-year opportunities, you probably have to go smaller."
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