Playing our part

Nelsonians have a habit of turning up to events at the last minute, expecting to park their car outside the venue and their bum on a front-row seat inside.

With this in mind, the question hanging in the air is how ready the region will be to host its small share of the Rugby World Cup when it launches two years from next week.

The challenge facing the community is intended to be highlighted in Nelson and Richmond this Wednesday, when both centres host a "Long Lunch" promotion (see panel) to kick off the two-year countdown and to try to engender a sense of ownership of the event among the region's citizens and remind them that, when thousands of rugby fans flock to town, we had better be ready to be the perfect hosts.

In May this year, consultant Siobhan Hanley (who headed the communication company that managed Nelson's World Cup bid) warned the community it had to get cracking if it hoped to gain leverage off the country's biggest sporting event and the profile it will offer the country and host cities.

"Nothing like this has ever been in Nelson before," Nelson Tasman Tourism chief executive Paul Davis says. "This is a once-in-a-generation media opportunity, and if teams are based here, there will be stories about how they're doing here and lifestyle pieces around that."

Nelson will know in December if it has team hosting rights in addition to its two pool games. That would mean a team, or teams, would be based here for several weeks, rather than just the few days surrounding the games.

Nelson City Council community services manager Susan Coleman says it presents a new opportunity "to showcase the region to the world".

" We want people to go home saying, `Nelson is a fantastic place and you need to visit'."

Ms Coleman has no qualms about the council being ready on time, but many threads must be pulled together before she will say with confidence that everyone else will follow.

Rugby World Cup officials have no requirements for standards the city must meet that's up to communities but service standards will prove the testing ground, says Rowena Richards, co-ordinator of Nelson city business promotion organisation Uniquely Nelson. "We have a job ahead of us, but it's achievable," she says, recounting a recent incident that shows how far some businesses have to go two backpackers left town the day they arrived because of the appalling service they received at a local supermarket.

Mrs Richards says the need to improve service standards is New Zealand-wide. She and her counterpart in Richmond, Pam Williams, of Richmond Unlimited, are working to help businesses understand that service is key to their success.

That Nelson was named as a venue rested on the strength of its proposal to Rugby New Zealand 2011, the joint-venture company set up by the Government and the New Zealand Rugby Union. RNZ 2011 is responsible for planning, preparing for and delivering the event, which will involve 20 teams playing 48 matches in 13 venues.

The city council had to convince the company that Nelson could meet the strict requirements and deliver the venue upgrade and training facilities on time.

The Trafalgar Centre was recently earmarked as a media, hosting and volunteer centre, rekindling discussion over plans to complete its upgrade, while the biggest focus will be on the playing venue, Trafalgar Park.

Ms Coleman says the council is responsible for meeting the commitment to upgrade its venues and has signed a legal agreement to do that. "We have to have the venue ready by October 2010. We are on target, but it will take us the full two years to be `party ready'," she says (see panel, right).

The Government is contributing $1.5 million to the park's upgrade, additional to the $5.9m already earmarked by the city council to bring it up to standard for general use beyond 2011. The Government's portion must be used for facilities needed to host the World Cup games, but the council is yet to separate these from the works needed.

It is also yet to see the money, but is expecting word "very soon", Ms Coleman says.

Trafalgar Park is the focus of renovations, but the whole city centre is to get a tidy-up, in line with a wider strategy to invigorate the heart of Nelson. Projects expected to be in place by kick-off include a new plaza in Montgomery Square car park, Maitai River walkway upgrades and new signs around the city pointing people to sites of interest.

The council has just appointed hospitality and events industry professional Simon Bruce-Miller as project manager. He will co-ordinate the two RWC 2011 matches, team hosting (yet to be confirmed), the planned Festival of Rugby, and "fan zones", where the major games will be broadcast on a giant screen for free public viewing.

Ms Coleman said there would be one such zone in Nelson city and one in Tasman.

The council also established a steering group in July to co-ordinate regional activities surrounding the event. Councillors Aldo Miccio and Pete Rainey were appointed to the group, to be chaired by Mr Miccio. Up to six more members from community and business organisations are yet to be appointed, Ms Coleman says. Its primary role will be to co-ordinate tourism, business and community activities.

Those in the accommodation industry stand to be winners, with an expected influx of 6000 visitors for each of the two games. On current figures, the region can offer 780 hotel beds, 4776 motel beds and 3806 bed spaces in caravan parks. Because it is unlikely that teams and their entourages will stay in a caravan park, it is fair to say hotel beds will be at a premium.

The predicted accommodation squeeze has created business opportunities, such as for Sue Robinson, of Richmond, who has set up a website offering New Zealanders the chance to rent out their homes during the event.

It is a lot to put in place for a fleeting moment in the calendar, so it makes sense that communities leverage off the input for longer-term gains.

Tourism boss Paul Davis said the world cup would be a catalyst for raising service quality standards. "This will be very tightly managed and very well organised, and New Zealand's reputation is on the line. A lot of smaller businesses will gain from this and will want to tap into it."

However, people will have to adhere to strict rules surrounding the use of the RWC name and its associated branding. The Major Events Management Act, passed in 2007, protects such events from "ambush marketing by association". It makes it illegal for anyone to associate goods or services, a brand of goods or services, or a person who provides those goods or services with the 2011 World Cup. Those who do risk fines of up to $150,000.

For the period of the tournament, "clean zones" and "clean transport routes" will be declared, meaning Trafalgar Park, for example, will not be able to display any advertising other than that linked to exclusive marketing rights. Enforcement officers will be appointed to issue warnings, seize items in clean zones and obtain and execute search warrants. The reason it is so strict is that the exclusive rights of official sponsors and marketing partners have to be protected. "It's a fine line between promoting yourself and using them [RWC] to do that. It's best you do that within the parameters that apply," Mr Davis says.

Rugby New Zealand 2011 marketing and communications general manager Shane Harmon says basic rules are that people cannot use any markings, emblems, logos or imagery of RWC, or claim any association with it. The company is more relaxed about accommodation because it is "happy to take all it could get" and it is up to those obtaining it to be aware of what they're buying. "There's no guarantee or commitment from the RWC organisation" in that regard, Mr Harmon says.

Mrs Robinson says Nelsonians have a "fantastic opportunity" to be involved in the game by letting out their homes to visitors, but it requires commitment. "People will need to be prepared to empty out wardrobe space, pack away jewellery and vacate the property, but it's a fantastic way for people to get involved in this event."

TRAFALGAR PARK UPGRADE

Lighting: Resource consent approved, design of the lighting foundations is under way. Construction expected to begin in October.

Turf: Playing surface to be replaced; a turf construction contractor has been appointed and is expected to begin work in October after the Air NZ Cup rugby competition ends. Sand continues to be stockpiled on site for use in the sand turf.

Toilet and entrance facilities: Detailed design drawings are being reviewed. The resource and building consents areprogressing.

Pavilion: Drawings have been approved.

Ground keeper facility: Tenders will be advertised for the construction of new ground keeper sheds and an access road at the northern end of the park. The existing sheds will be removed to allow the construction of a new entrance that links to Hathaway car park and the footbridge to the Trafalgar Centre.

Services: A request for expressions of interest will be advertised to confirm the extent of the workneeded to update and future-proof existing services, which include cabling, ducts, amenity lighting, paving, fencing and asphalted areas.

- © Fairfax NZ News