Dunedin Venues (DVML), which operates the ratepayer-owned stadium, has responded to an Otago Daily Times request for information by releasing a heavily redacted report into the incident.
The three-page report included sections on the cause of the fault, how it was fixed and lessons learnt, but the details in all three were virtually completely blacked out.
One section not blacked out showed a system used to control the venue’s lights had been "accidentally activated", followed by a complete power loss in parts of the stadium, but did not elaborate.
Dunedin Venues chief executive Terry Davies, in an accompanying statement, said the post-match analysis was not complete, but releasing the full report would likely "prejudice the commercial position" of DVML, New Zealand Rugby and Sky.
He also declined the ODT’s request for copies of correspondence which discussed the incident, including whether DVML faced a financial penalty as a consequence, suggesting that could also prejudice DVML’s commercial activities.
The ODT has referred Dunedin Venues’ decision to the Office of the Ombudsman for a review.
Close to 30,000 fans were inside Dunedin’s roofed stadium when lights in some sections switched off unexpectedly about 7pm on August 26, leading to a 10-minute delay to the start of the test.
Extra lighting equipment had been installed at the venue for a three-minute light show spectacular, scheduled for 7.20pm, but the display was abandoned after the glitch.
The ODT was told Dunedin Venues had faced a financial penalty over the incident, but DVML spokeswoman Kim Barnes would not be drawn on the "commercially sensitive and confidential" details at the time.
