The World Cup and Community Engagement

The Rugby World Cup to be hosted by New Zealand has the opportunity to bring various communities out of their shell and become socially interactive. With twenty teams from around the world being scattered throughout New Zealand there can be no denying the public hype that is going to occur around the 9th of September to the 23rd of October.

These teams will be based in 23 centres with 16 teams located in the North Island and 7 in the South Island of New Zealand. With the duration of stay in each centre ranging from 2-25 nights, coupled with teams practicing at 47 training venues including 18 rugby clubs and 7 schools, there is the potential for participation and community engagement within the differing locations and with the different teams involved.

Rugby World Cup 2011 Team Hosts
Source: Rugby New Zealand

Following the Earthquake of Christchurch, even more teams will be situated in fewer locations. This means more teams for the smaller hosts around the nation and potentially more nights being stayed in each location.

Although many of the teams may not be too excited about community engagement an effort must still be made by the local authorities or businesses to make sure the teams engage with the community. Even if it is through short team signings, open practices, or just general interaction through activities, they all make a difference in some of our small, and even bigger towns and cities. Jono Sutherland from the Queenstown Lakes District Council has sent various requests to the English, Irish, Georgian, and Romanian teams regarding community engagement, and while they did not seem to keen on the idea they could say 'Yes we can do it' and then they can cancel it 12 hours before its due to happen. In the event of this happening this is when the local authorities have to establish back up plans so that people are not disappointed. The example of the All Blacks not turning up to a school in Dunedin provides such disappointment.

These teams will bring a buzz to the smaller local areas like the Bay of Islands and Rodney where the teams are likely to be given God-like status. This is especially true for the young people of our society who generally love to get signatures and photos with rugby club players. No matter who the player it is always cool to get a photo and signature with someone who is famous or even borderline famous. These towns also have the ability to showcase their particular identity which may enable them to have a positive experience of the World Cup with benefits that are likely to occur post World Cup.

All Blacks Signing Autographs

Such scenes from above elucidate what type of engagement can occur in New Zealand during, before and after the World Cup.

The World Cup presents various opportunities for community engagement and social interaction. Under the Local Government Act 2002, Local Authorities are required to promote the "economic, environmental, social, and cultural well-beings" of the various communities within their jurisdiction. With this in mind, the World Cup presents the perfect opportunity for Local Authorities to promote the four well-beings.

The Rugby World Cup and Sustainability. Can the Two Go Hand in Hand?

With the World Cup of rugby only a few months away I have asked myself this question, can the RWC and the notion of sustainability go hand in hand? In a way i am very unsure but the Auckland Council seems to think so and they are the ones that are involved in the organisation process.

According to the Auckland Plus website the Auckland Council is committed to:

"reducing and minimising, where practicable, the environmental impacts associated with staging the Rugby World Cup 2011 events and activities in the Auckland region. It is also committed to delivering resilient long-term environmental benefits as a legacy to the Auckland region and its people. A key element of this is the adoption of sustainable management practices, including sustainable procurement".

They aim to achieve this through:

• making contactors and suppliers demonstrate their commitment and alignment to key environmental sustainability objectives in their day-to-day business operation and their delivery of goods and services to the RWC 2011.
• a sustainability toolkit

The sustainability toolkit can be found by clicking here

Essentially this toolkit will help to identify potential suppliers of goods and/or services, organisations tendering for work and those carrying out the assessment of submissions. It also provides an important opportunity to promote, facilitate and support the adoption of sustainable business practices through the tendering process, as a key legacy of the RWC 2011.

With this in mind i do think that the notion of sustainability and the RWC can go hand in hand. However, time will tell the true story and we will have to wait and see whether this is eventually true

Rugby World Cup and the Opportunities it Presents

All over New Zealand, local authorities are trying to make the most of the opportunities presented to them by the Rugby World Cup that is to be held in New Zealand later this year. To many councils this is the biggest event of the year. This is elucidated through local authority expenditure relating to the event. For example Wellington has budgeted $350,000 for a sweep of its streets and Kapiti $80,000 to clean its parks and toilets. The Auckland Council has a budget of $100 million regarding the World Cup. Virtually every council is trying to get in the money with the Rugby World Cup. The main attraction must certainly be the economic potential that the event has to offer.


Economic development is one of the important functions of local government. District Plans, partnerships, economic development agencies and the rating system is used by local councils to encourage economic development. In the case of the Rugby World Cup probably all of these tools will be used to encourage the event. 


However, will the economic benefits outweigh the costs?


New Zealand will spend approximately 1.2 billion dollars on investments for the Rugby World Cup, but is predicted to only make 700 million dollars in direct economic returns. That is a predicted shortfall of 500 million dollars. So to answer the question in terms of economic profit the simple answer is no.


However, it must be realized that the Rugby World Cup will do more than just satisfy our coffers. The RWC will present opportunities that will positively increase our social, cultural, and environmental well-being as well. 


Let me give you an example of each:


Environmental:


An area that has been targeted for development for the RWC is Jelicoe Street. It has incorporated urban design principles to form an urban environment that is pedestrian friendly and appealing to tourist's and even locals.  The pictures below represent what Jelicoe Street looks like now and what it is predicted to look like in the future when the RWC arrives. This is only one example of the many urban regeneration projects that may be coming to the fore because of the RWC. Essentially this will not only be used by the tourists that come to visit during the tournament, it will also be used by current, and future New Zealander's. 

Source: Waterfront Development

Social:


Hosting a major event is often accompanied by a feeling of local, regional, and national pride. National unity and social inclusion creates an atmosphere that is tolerant of others, caring, and inviting. This is extremely important considering the fact that twenty countries will be participating in the cup which means twenty different cultures and perspectives coming into New Zealand. The RWC also puts New Zealand on the map globally and allows us to showcase our talent in the sport of rugby. 

Source: NZ Herald

Cultural:


The creation of a Maori cultural pavilion on the waterfront presents the opportunity to showcase Maori culture to tourists that are going to be in Auckland for the Rugby World Cup. The waterfront is the jewel of Auckland and the position that this pavilion will sit on will no doubt attract many visitors. The waka will be an iconic feature of the event in my opinion and will also produce greater economic and social benefits to the region. Giant tekoteko carved figures situated around Eden Park will also showcase one form of Maori culture. Around the country other Maori culture initiatives are also being used to display culture. 


All in all i think that the benefits do outweigh the costs when it comes to the RWC. This is an opportunity to claim back the Webb Ellis Trophy but also an opportunity to showcase to the world the many positive aspects of our country. And although the economic benefits may be less than what was expected, it cannot be argued that the long term effects of this tournament will leave NZ better off.