Spark Arena[2] (also known as Auckland City Arena, and formerly as Vector Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The venue is located at Quay Park, Parnell, very close to Britomart Transport Centre and The Strand Station. The arena cost approximately $94 million,[3] and of this sum ratepayers contributed $68 million for the facility to be managed by QPAM, the NZ operator, in New Zealand's first big public-private partnership. This runs for 40 years before ownership is transferred to the city.[4][5]
After delays due to construction-related issues, the arena's first concert was Rock Star Supernova on 24 March 2007.[6]
Naming rights
During planning and construction, the venue was called Auckland City Arena. Vector Limited held the naming rights from the venue's opening in 2007 until April 2017, during which time it was called Vector Arena. On 19 April 2017, Spark New Zealand took over the naming rights, renaming the venue Spark Arena.[7]
Ownership
Quay Park Arena Management Ltd was incorporated in 2002 to construct and operate the stadium, in a deal between the company's owners and the then Auckland City Council.[4] In 2005, the company was renamed QPAM Ltd. QPAM has ultimately been owned by EVENZ Limited since 2012.[8] Shares in EVENZ were purchased by American company Live Nation Entertainment and Australian company MHC Investments after approval by the Overseas Investment Office in August 2016.[9]
That first NBL game at Vector Arena drew a New Zealand record crowd for a basketball game when 6,900 saw the NZ Breakers defeat the Kings 76-59.[11] This record was again broken in Round 17, when 7,979 saw the Breakers again defeat the Kings 93-64.
On 13 March 2012 New Zealand Breakers General Manager Richard Clarke announced that due to the amount of support for the team, all Breakers finals games would be played at Vector Arena with capacity set at 8,500, subject to demand, with extra seating to be sold if needed. The Breakers finished the 2011-12 season as minor premiers giving them home court advantage in all finals series'.[12] The Breakers qualified for the 2011-12 NBL Grand Final against the Perth Wildcats with games 1 and 3 being played at the arena. Game 1 saw the attendance record for a basketball game in New Zealand broken, with 9,125 seeing the Breakers win 104-98 in overtime. With the Wildcats winning game 2 in Perth 87-86, game 3 was required and the Breakers won their second straight NBL Championship with a 79-73 win in front of another record crowd of 9,285.
Before the 2012-13 NBL season, the Breakers confirmed that they would play five regular season games at Vector Arena. The first game, played in front of 6,625 fans, saw the home side defeat the Adelaide 36ers 73-59 on 12 October. The four other games at the arena during the regular season were on 16 November (Townsville), 13 December (Cairns Taipans), 1 February 2013 (Perth) and 14 March 2013 (Melbourne Tigers).
The Breakers once again broke their attendance record during Game 1 of the 2012-13 NBL Grand Final series against the Perth Wildcats when a capacity 9,330 fans saw the home team defeat the Wildcats 79-67. The team ultimately won their third successive NBL title.
For the 2013–14 NBL season, the Breakers played half of their home games at Vector Arena, totalling seven appearances at the arena.[13] The Breakers game against the Adelaide 36ers on 15 November 2013 saw the home side's first ever loss at the arena, in front of 7,470 fans. The Breakers then lost their second game at the venue when they were defeated 71-62 by the Perth Wildcats on 13 December 2013 in front of 7,597 fans.
BMX
The 32nd BMX World Championships, attracted over two thousand riders from 33 countries, was held in the then Vector Arena over the week of 24–28 July 2013. Construction of the track took six days involving approximately 10,000 pallets and 60 truck and trailer loads of dirt. The confines meant there was insufficient room to build two separate ramps, so a hydraulic movable one was built to allow the ramp to be moved from 5 metre height to 8 metres.
The arena played host to its first boxing event on 10 December 2016: Joseph ParkervsAndy Ruiz for the vacant WBO World Heavyweight Title.[15] This was New Zealand's first male world title and first heavyweight world title fight hosted in New Zealand, and New Zealand's second major world title fight, the first being Kali Reis vs Maricela Cornejo for the vacant WBC World Female Middleweight title on 16 April 2016 at The Trusts Arena.[16]
In mid-August 2021, Spark Arena hosted retail company Mitre 10's 2021 Awards ceremony which was attended by a thousand people including TVNZ broadcaster Hilary Barry. On 20 August, a bar worker tested positive for COVID-19. Consequently, participants were ordered to isolate at home.[18]
