RLWC supporters celebrate throughout the night as Samoa takes on England in a semi-final match in the UK. Video / Hayden Woodward
More official events have been announced ahead of the Rugby League World Cup final, with fans gearing up for an epic showdown between Samoa and Australia.
Following on from an announcement of a fan zone in Māngere, Otara locals can look forward to two major events set up in their neighbourhood.
Otara fan zone
A pre-game party from 5pm to 10pm in the town centre, on Saturday, will feature musical performances, traditional siva (dance) Samoa siva afi (fire dancing).
All the newly announced official events are pitched as family-friendly, with no alcohol allowed and an entertainment line-up that includes one of Samoa’s legendary bands: Punialava’a.
From 3am on Sunday, people are encouraged to bring their mats, camping chairs and blankets to the Otara Market carpark, where a big screen will be live-streaming the match that kicks off at 5am.
Catering business owner Julz Frost-Uoka is part of a team of local businesses who have joined forces and resources to bring the town centre to life on Saturday night.
Cars flooded Auckland streets waving Samoan Flag after the team beat England in Rugby League World Cup. Photo / Hayden Woodward
“We have seen and watched many of our people celebrate in many different ways and parts of the globe so we thought we need to have one in the heart of the Pacific, Ōtara.”
Frost-Uoka says the event will cater for all age groups, from toddlers to the elderly, providing a safe and controlled environment that is fun for the whole family.
“We hope to capture the reactions and the pride in our people as our team prepares to take battle against a team who have always dominated the world cup.”
Game to be live-streamed on big screen
On game day fans will be treated to a DJ set; as well as free panikeke and koko alaisa (cocoa rice) to warm up the crowd before the match plays out on the big screen at 5am, sponsored by Spark Sport.
The host for that event - Otara Kai Village - said they had received an approval from Spark for a license to screen the game at a public event.
Samoan fans are celebrating Rugby League World Cup win over England at Māngere Town Centre. Photo / Alex Burton
Māngere fan zone
Auckland Council and other local community leaders have organised a fan zone festival at David Lange Park, in Māngere, on Saturday afternoon.
Manukau Ward Councillor Lotu Fuli encourages attendees to respect the efforts of the organisers, who are putting emphasis on the events being alcohol, drug and car free.
Many are expecting a parade of vehicles decked out in Samoan flags; while the entertainment includes performances from Kas “Tha Feelstyle” Futialo, Ponifasio Samoa, DJ Spyce, DJ Larkx and DJ651.
There have been no official fan zones set up for the Rugby League World Cup before this weekend, unlike 2011 when Aotearoa hosted the world for the Rugby World Cup.
Fuli said as a sports mad nation, we had missing a “huge opportunity” to foresee and plan for good, safe fan zones for this Rugby League World Cup.
It may highlight the inequities we see about how our mainstream media and/or institutions treat sports other than Rugby and underestimated how passionate the Pasifika communities in New Zealand are about our Pasifika sports teams, she said.
Meanwhile, no official fan zones have been announced in West Auckland; where some locals have taken to Facebook calling for a live screening of the big match or an event before the game.
