Environment Minister David Parker has introduced the America's Cup Road Stopping Bill to Parliament.
The bill's stated purpose is to support construction relating to, and the operation of, the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland by permanently stopping a portion of Brigham Street on Wynyard Point.
On 13 April 2018, a resource consent application was lodged with Auckland Council for the construction of bases on Wynyard Point for the America’s Cup. The Wynyard Hobson base option allows for minimum incursion into the harbour and a lower cost than other options explored, but requires the stopping of a portion of Brigham Street by 1 November 2018, to allow construction to start.
The road stopping is also required to allow the America’s Cup events to take place, as syndicate bases are intended to sit across the existing road to gain direct access to the water for launching racing yachts.
The bill has a commencement date of 1 November 2018 and clause 9 states that it will be repealed 12 months after its commencement.