Mayor defends Olivia Dean concert running 22 mins past curfew, council weighs $1200 fine

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has defended Olivia Dean’s concert running past curfew, saying the city should not make “a drama out of an extra 22 minutes”.

It remains unclear whether his council will penalise anyone for the curfew breach, which could attract a $1200 fine.

Auckland Stadiums is in talks with Auckland Council over a fine after the concert ran past its 11pm curfew on Saturday at Western Springs Bowl.

The late finish followed a 40-minute technical interruption and left some concertgoers departing after scheduled public transport services had ended.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown backed allowing the concert to run past curfew, saying most attendees would have preferred that to the show being cut short.

“Of course we need to be considerate of nearby residents, and there are rules for a reason. But these were unusual circumstances, and I think we need to keep things in perspective.”

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said we needed to encourage more artists to come here. Photo / Michael Craig

Brown said Auckland should encourage big international acts and huge crowds instead of “making a drama out of an extra 22 minutes”.

“As far as I am concerned, the right decision was made on Saturday night.”

Grey Lynn Residents Association spokesman Dan Salmon called the situation “a storm in a teacup”, saying the association had not heard residents complain.

However, Auckland Council earlier confirmed at least one nearby resident called noise control after the show ran late.

An officer attended but at 11.28pm they were “unable to detect any noise, as such, no further action was taken”.

Auckland Stadiums director James Parkinson. Photo / Jason Dorday

Auckland Stadiums director James Parkinson said the venue would co-operate with the council’s process.

“They’ve got a process, quite rightly, that they need to follow and we’ll co-operate fully with them in that process,” he told Nadine Higgins on Ryan Bridge TODAY.

Pressed on whether the curfew breach would result in a fine, he said: “That’s a conversation that is ongoing ... we’ll work out where that lands.”

The council told the Herald if a fine was issued, it would be $1200.

However, the council would need to understand who the responsible parties were.

Mervyn Chetty, the council’s head of licensing and environmental health, said Auckland Stadiums advised the council on Saturday night that a technical issue would push the concert past 11pm.

More than 40,000 people attended the concert at the refurbished Western Springs venue.

Parkinson said transport arrangements had been adjusted when the show ran late, including extending the traffic management plan to support event shuttle buses.

However, some scheduled public transport services had finished before concertgoers made it out.

Earlier, fans told the Herald it was “absolute chaos” trying to get to the train station and beyond.

“We walked to avoid some of the traffic and managed to get an overpriced Uber fairly quickly. The roads around Western Springs were certainly busy,” one concertgoer said.

Transport would be examined as part of the post-show review, Parkinson said.

Western Springs had the lowest demand for public transport among the venues Auckland Stadiums operated, with concertgoers walking towards Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Kingsland and the city centre.

That did not mean efforts to improve public transport would stop, he said.

Drone view of Western Springs Bowl for the Olivia Dean concert. Photo / Auckland Stadiums

Despite the disruption, Parkinson said the refurbished venue had performed well, with entry, food and drink services and bathrooms operating smoothly overall.

“The feedback from the promoter has been hugely positive.”

Other promoters also expressed strong interest in bringing shows to Western Springs Bowl before and after Saturday’s concert, he said.

Salmon said: “Most Grey Lynners understand that these things sometimes happen; it’s part and parcel of living in a vibrant inner suburb”.

Salmon, who lives within earshot, heard the final half-hour after returning from another concert and said it “sounded great”.

He hoped local businesses benefited, noting Kingsland’s Urbanaut was packed before concertgoers left for Dean’s show.

However, there had been talk of congestion afterwards, alongside blocked driveways and berms during the event.

Salmon suggested organisers and council consider public transport connections with the new City Rail Link, acknowledging the challenge of moving large crowds safely.

“In short, we’re into it and looking forward to the next one,” he said of concerts.

Handsome Tours, the promoter of the concert, confirmed to RNZ the technical issues were with the tour production and not the venue.