The Fifty Must Ask Rugby World Cup Questions

The Fifty Must Ask Rugby World Cup Questions

While most people hope that the Rugby World Cup is a resounding success, we will need to take count of how it benefited not only rugby and the economy, but also the community at large says Ray Sleeman, Director of the Tourism and Leisure Group. At the same time we need to identify those things that didn’t go quite so well. The latter is important because if we are to target more large sporting events for New Zealand, then we have to ensure that where improvements are required (funding, management, facilities etc), they are addressed.

Fifty questions (www.tourismleisuregroup.co.nz/blog.html) under the headings Economic, Environmental and Social from an infrastructure and event perspective highlight the key areas that need to be reviewed. The responses will essentially determine whether the RWC was a success or not for the country and all Kiwis.

Some will argue that if New Zealand wins the RWC 2011 then it must have been a success. This is a naive approach especially when there has been major investment from the public purse. Those responsible for the public investment in the RWC must be accountable for their decisions and results.

Key areas for review include:

• How much was invested through public and private investment in RWC 2011
• What was the net economic benefit for New Zealand?
• What are the legacies from the RWC?
• Will more visitors come to New Zealand because of the RWC?
• Is New Zealand capable of hosting more major events and do we want to?
• Are communities better off because of the RWC?

Is the planning for the review already underway? If not then we have missed the opportunity to collect some important data before RWC starts.

ENDS

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