Andrew Whiley offered the suggestion during the public forum part of yesterday’s Dunedin City Council meeting.
The idea dawned on him when councillors had been talking last month about the possibility of bringing back fireworks for New Year’s Eve celebrations, he said.
Mr Whiley noted the stadium upgraded its lighting in 2024 and he said lights there could act as fireworks.
At the time of the upgrade, Dunedin Venues Management Ltd (DVML) said the lighting package allowed for filters, colours, patterns and projections to be displayed on the roof, pitch and seating areas.
The council has not run a New Year’s Eve pyrotechnics display since welcoming 2021.
The question of whether to restore a fireworks display to welcome 2027 remains unresolved, as the council is giving further thought to the nature of the event and its location.
Mr Whiley said New Year’s Eve events in the past decade had been hit or miss in Dunedin, as the weather was an uncertain element.
"The weather’s always perfect under the roof," he said.
Mr Whiley referred to an Otago Daily Times article last week about a proposition to use curtains to adjust the capacity of the stadium for different scales of events.
DVML chief executive Paul Doorn signalled last week the proposition would be discussed by the council this week and it appeared this could have happened in the public-excluded part of the council meeting yesterday.
Mr Whiley said continuing to invest in the stadium and making it adaptable for all users was essential.
"There needs to be greater use of the stadium, especially in relation to our student community."
