RWC boon for Wairarapa

Wairarapa business and community leaders were updated on just how the greater Wellington region is preparing for the 2011 Rugby World Cup at a function hosted by Destination Wairarapa in Masterton.

Keynote speaker was Derek Fry, manager of the major events team at Wellington City Council, who outlined what he saw as the opportunities presented by the largest sporting event in the city's history.

As well as hosting six pool games and two quarter-finals, Wellington will be staging a "Festival of Carnivale" which will feature a range of events right across the capital.

Party central for the Carnivale is the Fanzone on the waterfront, incorporating the new Wharewaka with nearby landmark Wellington buildings the setting for a light and projection show.

Fry also detailed the potential economic benefits for the wider region with some 38,000 extra visitors during the six-week tournament expected to spend an estimated $45 million.

Wairarapa Rugby World Cup event organiser Catherine Rossiter-Stead talked about activities for local residents, all of them being part of the region's annual Spring Festival which is funded as part of the nationwide Real New Zealand Festival.

Residents and visitors will be encouraged to join Ngati Kahungunu's Rugby, Haka and Hangi celebration on September 10 and the Big Parade planned for Masterton on September 22 to welcome the Georgian team which is spending a week training in Masterton.

Among the local celebrations will be the Wairarapa Welcomes the World Big BBQ, to be held in Queen Elizabeth Park on September 24.

Rossiter-Stead is also encouraging councils to deck their towns with tournament flags and for businesses to display colourful bunting as another way of showing Wairarapa is behind the Rugby World Cup.

Destination Wairarapa general manager Peter Wilson talked about how the Wairarapa region could make the most of the increase in visitor numbers.

Wilson said visitors booked in here should be encouraged to enjoy the local food and wine as well as relaxing rural pursuits and he noted Destination Wairarapa would be targeting those independent travellers in camper vans and rental cars who were wanting to get off the beaten track and take in the "real New Zealand experience".

An important marketing partnership for the region is the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail. Destination Wairarapa will work with their counterparts in Hawke's Bay, Wellington and Marlborough to market this trail through the national i-Site network so as to ensure tourists are well informed as to what is available in that field.

Readers should check out www.projectgeorgia.net, a website set up to encourage Wairarapa students to adopt Georgia as their second team - after the All Blacks, of course - at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.