All Blacks captain and Crusaders No 8 Kieran Read says Christchurch's temporary stadium has become a symbol of the lack of progress in the city.

Meanwhile, the boss of the Canterbury Rugby Union, which pays $1.23 million a year to use the temporary AMI Stadium in Addington, says the current business model is unsustainable.

Read on Tuesday joined a chorus of submissions to Christchurch's long-term plan (LTP) asking the Christchurch City Council to bring forward funding for a proposed multi-use arena.

Council has $253m earmarked for the new stadium, but the money is on budget between 2022-23 and 2024-25.

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Read said the temporary stadium was "no longer a symbol of progress for the city".

"Sadly it has become the opposite."

It "highlighted" what Christchurch was "missing out on" in rugby, as well as other events such as concerts.

The new stadium is proposed for a 6-hectare site between Madras, Barbadoes, Tuam and Hereford streets in the central city. Most of the land has been acquired by the Government.

A pre-feasibility study completed last year recommended a $496m multi-use arena with a full roof and a retractable playing field. It suggested a 25,000-seat arena with 5000 temporary seats. Using the central field, the stadium could hold 40,000 people for concerts. 

JOSEPH JOHNSON/STUFF

Kieran Read has waded into Christchurch's stadium debate, saying the current temporary ground is "no longer a symbol of progress for the city".

In addition to the $253m council contribution, the Labour-led Government indicated it could fork out for the project – a new stadium could receive funding from a mooted $300m fund for Christchurch.

The fund could be approved when the Government 2018 Budget is announced on Thursday.

Rugby union chief executive Nathan Godfrey​ said the temporary stadium had become the local game's "greatest risk".

Initially, the temporary stadium helped it "overcome the threat to our teams, our players and the wider community".

"Ironically, the solution to this risk has now given birth to a far greater risk – the temporary stadium is without doubt our greatest risk, demonstrated by the number of high-profile sports and entertainment events we have lost as a city," Godfrey said.

Councillor Yani​ Johanson questioned how a bigger stadium, with a more expensive fit-out and greater operating costs, would be more sustainable.

"At a high level, the future of professional sports in New Zealand seems of concern," Johanson said.

"Attendances seem to be declining, player salaries seem to be going up and we seem to be asked as a city to contribute more and more ratepayers' money into bidding with other cities around New Zealand, which obviously that spirals up the cost to us.

"I'm just really interested at how we look at a sustainable model."

GEORGE HEARD/STUFF

Canterbury Rugby Union chief executive Nathan Godfrey said his organisation would not help pay for a new Christchurch stadium.

Godrey indicated the business model needed work.

"So, for example, Eden Park operates with the Auckland Rugby Union and the model is around rev[enue] share – 15 per cent of every person's ticket when they go through the gate goes back to the stadium," he said.

"The fixed-fee model, the $1.23m that rugby pays at the moment to the stadium, in my view is not sustainable.

"Around 107 per cent of our revenue is used on paying for that stadium to actually open the gates, so 107 per cent is not sustainable."

Councillor Vicki Buck asked if the union expected to contribute financially to the new stadium.

"One of the concerns that's come through from the people that don't want the stadium to be brought forward has been the cost of it," she said.

Godrey said the union's contribution was its expertise and ability to help shape a business case for the stadium and what it would look like.

Buck asked if Godfrey's response was a "no" to funding.

GEORGE HEARD/STUFF

The temporary AMI Stadium in Addington was originally designed to last five years from 2012 to 2017.

"That was a no," he said.

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said spectators were "paying to get hailed on" at the temporary stadium.

"Our stadium is the least suitable stadium in Super Rugby by over 8000 people," he said.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) chief strategy and operations officer Nigel Cass said the temporary stadium generated "less than 50 per cent of the net revenue of the next lowest yielding" NZ venue that hosted test matches.

"In the current environment NZR faces considerable challenges, particularly with our ability to maintain our current player base in NZ and to continue to support the community game," he said.

"For this reason it is just not possible to play All Black test matches in the temporary AMI Stadium on a regular basis."

Mayor Lianne Dalziel quizzed Cass about potential financial contributions from NZR.

Cass said the key way the organisation would contribute financially was by bringing tests to Christchurch.

"We're not looking for a free pass, if you like, in terms of use of the facility. We'd be looking to allocate games and pay a commercial rate for doing so," he said.

JOSEPH JOHNSON/STUFF

Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach, left, and coach Scott Robertson. Robertson says spectators are "paying to get hailed on" at the temporary stadium.

"In terms of the tender process for matches, that's far more about just ensuring that the council and wider community are engaged so that when a test match is played in your city the city comes alive.

"With a roofed stadium of up to 30,000 seats you would be in a position with that facility to be pretty well assured of a test match every year."

Councillor Jamie Gough asked if NZR would be open to guaranteeing test matches for the city if the council brought stadium funding forward and worked with the Government to speed up work.

But Cass stopped short of making promises.

"The only reluctance NZR has got in terms of giving a cast-iron guarantee is that means some of the other things around engagement of the city, with the fan zones and so on, might fade into the background," he said.

The temporary AMI Stadium was originally designed to last five years from 2012 to 2017.

The council recently granted building consent for $1m of additional work to extend the life of the stadium to 2022, and the Christchurch Stadium Trust, which owns the temporary facility, has a budget of $500,000 for annual maintenance.

 - Stuff