Labour leader Phil Goff has called for the Prime Minister to "come clean" about whether Christchurch will be ready to host Rugby World Cup games.
His comments come after a senior International Rugby Board source told Britain's Daily Telegraph an engineers' structural report of AMI Stadium, due to be published this week, is expected to be "bleak", and the city will lose its hosting rights.
The Telegraph website reports the stadium has sustained not only serious liquefaction to the pitch, but the engineer's report will confirm structural damage to the stands.
The New Zealand Herald reports Mr Goff as saying John Key should front up to the people of Christchurch over what the reports he had received.
"I understand from international reporting that the IRB is going to rule it," Mr Goff said.
"If Mr Key is aware of that then I think it's time to come clean and just tell the people of Christchurch what the truth is.
"Giving them false hope is not going to help. All of us would have wished that it was possible to host the World Cup in Christchurch but if the evidence that Mr Key has got says that can't happen then he's just got to show some leadership and tell the people of Christchurch what he knows."
Even before the second quake in February there were questions over accomodation necessary for the matches to be held in the city. Furthermore, "we know that there are huge priorities in terms of just getting people's basic services back on".
"All of that points in the direction that make it unlikely.
"Now is the time for Mr Key to come clean with the people of Christchurch and just tell them what he knows and tell people the truth."
Mr Key yesterday said a government recommendation on Christchurch hosting matches could be made as soon as Friday.
Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully had received an initial engineering report on damage to AMI Stadium, but was awaiting further information.
Mr McCully needed to talk to Vbase, which managed the stadium and other relevant parties, information would be pulled together and an assessment made, Mr Key said.
"I haven't seen all of the information... We all acknowledge it's challenging but that doesn't mean it's impossible."
He hoped to have a recommendation by Friday.
"The IRB are very keen to work in conjunction with us, they are accepting that we have the best available advice, and we are going to be realistic about that advice. If we can hold the cup there and do so in a professional way we will but if we can't then we will also give that honest up-front assessment."
New Zealand's international reputation as well as Christchurch's interests had to be taken into account.
The recommendation was likely to include options for hosting the games elsewhere, which Mr Key said he expected Rugby World Cup New Zealand was working on.
Factors to be considered in making the recommendation would include accommodation, using rebuilding resources to work on the stadium, the extent of damage at the stadium and the ability to get the turf into good condition.
Previously, Mr McCully said there was no plan B and all the focus was on the games going ahead in the city but that mood appears to have changed.
"If the recommendation goes against that it will be because it's not possible," Mr Key said.
- The New Zealand Herald/NZPA
