2026 Impact INTL: Australia/New Zealand Honoree: Nick Sautner

Nick Sautner
Chief Executive
Eden Park

MOST RECENT CONCERT TO CHANGE HIS LIFE: “Coldplay at Eden Park. Three extraordinary nights that demonstrated the power of live music to bring people together.”

One-time Australian Rules football champion Nick Sautner has spent more than 25 years working across the stadium, sport and entertainment sectors in Australia and New Zealand.

They included roles at Colonial Stadium, Telstra Dome, Etihad Stadium, Domain Stadium and the West Australian Football Commission. 

“However, the greatest privilege of my career has been leading Eden Park, New Zealand’s national stadium, for the past decade,” he emphasises. He diversified Eden Park from sports to sustain itself as a multi-purpose, hybrid stadium. This journey has included securing approval for Eden Park’s first concert, welcoming SIX60 and 50,000 fans in 2021 – coming during the pandemic’s impact on the global sector when NZ was not affected at the time, making it the world’s No. 1 stadium in Pollstar’s mid-year rankings that year. From there, Eden Park welcomed Ed Sheeran, Guns N’ Roses, Billy Joel, P!NK, Travis Scott, Coldplay and Metallica. Coldplay performed three sold-out shows in front of over 160,000 people. The world record for the largest haka was reclaimed.

Sautner’s accolades include being named TheStadiumBusiness Executive of the Year and the EVANZ (Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand) Supreme Venue Person. In the last year Eden Park was significantly and formally recognised by law as the country’s national stadium. It enabled Eden Park to host a broader range of sport, entertainment, cultural, community and business activity. 
From April 2026, the stadium was permitted to host up to 12 large and 20 medium-sized entertainment events annually. The redevelopment of West Stand was commenced. At the heart of the project is the Coca-Cola Field Club, a permanent field-level hospitality destination.
“Relationships matter, remain curious and never accept that something cannot be done simply because it has not been done before,” he says. “Surround yourself with good people, give them clarity and trust them to do their jobs.nal events hub.”