Hawke's Bay's mayors all embraced amalgamation at a special gathering in Napier on Sunday.
They all happily got together for the united cause of welcoming the All Blacks to the Bay and were all agreed on one thing - the ABs are a team worth celebrating.
Napier Mayor Bill Dalton, Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule, Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Peter Butler and Wairoa Mayor Craig Little all donned the chains of office and joined a crowd of about 1000 people who took over the Hawke's Bay Airport terminal to get a glimpse of the country's rugby stars.
Mr Dalton, who welcomed Richie McCaw and the boys to the Bay on behalf of the mayors, said the game would bring huge benefits to the region.
He also said the gathering of mayoralty also underlined something special.