An upbeat Martin Snedden has offered some reassuring words for anyone concerned that New Zealand might not be able to present its best face during the Rugby World Cup. "In lots of ways I wish it was starting tomorrow. But it will be here soon enough. And we are prepared," the Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive says. With only 38 days to go to kick-off, the one remaining question appears to be the sale of tickets, which is at about three-quarters of the organiser's target. Even there, Mr Snedden is unfazed. The buzz once the event starts will have people rushing to make bookings for matches, he says.
If that is so, New Zealanders will surely be immune from any criticism that they have not tried hard enough to make the World Cup a success. As the Weekend Herald reported, this determination extends even to a moratorium on work involving utility, construction and demolition companies between August 15 and October 30. According to Auckland Transport, the city centre, arterial roads and areas around World Cup venues will be affected.
By any yardstick, this is an extraordinary concession to a sporting event. Even the most mundane of work will stop. New work digging up footpaths, for example, will be prohibited. The rule will also capture large construction sites that spill on to footpaths or require traffic diversions.
Understandably, not everyone is impressed.
"It's absolutely stupid," says the secretary of the Amalgamated Workers Union, Ray Bianchi. "If [work] has to be done, it has to be done. If there's a burst sewer or water main, is it just going to stay there until the stupid game of rugby finishes?"