KEY POINTS:
A beaming Prime Minister Helen Clark heard this morning that international rugby bosses visiting the country to talk about planning for the 2011 Rugby World Cup have given New Zealand an A+ grade.
The chairman of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Bernard Lapasset and IRB chief executive Mike Miller called on the Prime Minister briefly at the Beehive to discuss preparations for the tournament, which is the third largest sporting event in the world behind the football world cup and Olympics.
Mr Miller appeared confident the redeveloped Eden Park would be ready in time and fit for purpose when kick-off comes in 2011.
"We have no concerns about the development of Eden Park," Mr Miller said.
"It will be done on time, it will be a magnificent stadium and a great showpiece for the Rugby World Cup."
The week-long visit by international rugby bosses includes a debrief for New Zealand's tournament organisers on last year's event in France.
Among the topics being discussed are logistics and venue management, use of public live broadcasting sites and community engagement.
Asked if New Zealand had gained a pass mark for its preparations so far, Mr Miller said he gave it "higher than a pass mark - an A+".
"Everything is on time, on schedule, there's a great team here and they know what they're doing," he said.
Helen Clark said the Government was aware there was a lot of work to do to get ready for the Rugby World Cup, which she wanted to be a uniquely "Kiwi festival".
The visiting rugby bosses praised the government's involvement in the tournament's organisation, saying it wasn't possible to host a major event like the Rugby World Cup without the total support of the government.
Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden said it was now not much more than 1300 days until the tournament would begin.
Officials from Rugby World Cup limited and the IRB began their visit to New Zealand in the weekend and were in Auckland yesterday. Senior management from the France 2007 World Cup were also at the meeting.
Eden Park management were contacted by nzherald.co.nz but would not comment on progress to date, ahead of a press conference next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the IRB has released figures showing France 2007 attracted the largest crowds and television viewers in the tournament's 20 year history.
Over 2 million attended a Rugby World Cup for the first time with the total attendance reached 2.25 million, producing an average attendance rate of 47,000 across the 48 games in France, Scotland and Wales.
The IRB also reported television coverage had increased with 119 international broadcasters covering the action across 202 TV territories attracting combined viewer numbers of over 4.2 billion.
Total Cumulative Television Audience 1987-2007
1987 New Zealand 230 million
1991 UK and France 1.4 billion
1995 South Africa 2.3 billion
1999 UK and France 3.1 billion
2003 Australia 3.4 billion
2007 France 4.2 billion * record
Total Attendance
1987 New Zealand 600,000
1991 UK and France 1,000,000
1995 South Africa 1,100,000
1999 UK and France 1,700,000
2003 Australia 1,900,000
2007 France 2,240,000 * record
