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Lighting the harbour bridge and wrapping buildings with spectacular images are among projects in a $33.8 million package Auckland City Council plans for the Rugby World Cup.
Other plans include big broadcast screens on the waterfront and at Aotea Square, major public art installations and spending $5 million on public celebrations for the 2011 event.
Council events group manager Rachael Dacy, who headed Melbourne's planning for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, yesterday said the event was more than grass at Eden Park. It was also about taking the cameras outside the stadium.
Highly visual installations, such as lighting the bridge and wrapping major CBD buildings with banners or light projections, would ensure Auckland looked its best to leave a positive, lasting impression on international visitors, she said.
The 2003 Rugby World Cup in Sydney saw massive projections of rugby players on large inner-city buildings.
The $33.8 million package has bitterly divided the council when spending on core services such as libraries, parks and swimming pools is about to be slashed to hold down rates.
Citizens & Ratepayers' councillors on the arts, culture and recreation committee yesterday approved the package before going to another meeting to consider pruning spending on swimming pools.
City Vision councillors backed a basic $23.8 million package for things like cleaning, security and transport for the Cup, but had major misgivings about $10 million of "discretionary" projects such as lighting the bridge at a cost of $250,000 and wrapping buildings at $500,000 each.
City Vision councillor Cathy Casey objected to a $320,000 budget to "feed canapes and alcohol" to visiting politicians and dignitaries when C&R had criticised the previous council for spending $20,000 to mark the 20th anniversary of homosexual law reform.
C&R councillors bemoaned the attitude of their left-wing colleagues. John Lister said Aucklanders were gearing up for the Cup and it was up to the council, in conjunction with central government, to "have the biggest party Auckland has ever seen".
The C&R ruling bloc plans a mix of funding measures to pay the bill. These include using the entire 2007-08 operating surplus of $11 million that would normally be spent on capital works, $9.7 million from existing budgets, $4 million from external services and a targeted rate of $9.1 million in the 2011-12 year.
