Crispian Stewart: Australasian Police and Emergency Games delivered after six years

A few Apes Games volunteers (from left): Sheryl Carrington, Miele Claes, Graham Taylor, Emma Tukiwaho, Casey Jerry, Tony Miller, Margaret Bennett and Lex Hutchison.

Hakinakina Community News is a weekly update on our local community sports and athletes.

OPINION:

It was 2017 when the NZ Police National Games were hosted in Rotorua. More than 700 participants visited our city for the three-day event, and the idea for the Apes Games (Australasian Police and Emergency) was conceived.

Fast-forward six years and the city has now hosted the Apes Games for the first time.

This biannual event travels around the six Australian states, then New Zealand, every 12 years. 3000 participants attended the eight-day event which, according to event director Dave Gallagher, provided for more than 20,000 visitor bed nights and had a multi-million-dollar economic impact on Rotorua.

Forty per cent of the competitors were international travellers from Australia and the Pacific Islands. To provide some perspective, more than 5000 participants attended last year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

More than 400 local volunteers were recruited to help deliver the 56 different sports. Locals and various Rotorua sporting organisations extended manaaki [hospitality] to ensure our guests had an amazing experience in our city. In return, the event gifted a koha of more than $150,000 back to community sport. The local arm of the Graham Dingle Foundation also benefited by $7000 as the official Games charity. Then there was the cyclone relief fund. At late notice, games director Dave Gallagher operated a post-event auction raising further funds for the project to offer the East Coast some respite.

These events are a long time in the making, and it is a huge responsibility to deliver the manaaki our visitors deserve. They also present an amazing opportunity for us to tell our story and enhance Rotorua’s reputation. From the brief snapshot of the community benefits the recent Apes Games provided, you can see how valuable hosting sporting events are to our community.

A huge thank you to our more than 400 community sports personnel and volunteers that played a huge part in delivering the games and further enhancing our reputation as an event city. And to Dave and his crew from the Games Board for entrusting our city to host this international event.

For your community sports news and stories, please contact Crispian.stewart@eves.co.nz.