Rugby World Cup comes to town
The Rugby World Cup is finally back on New Zealand shores, and this Friday (15 July) it comes to Levin.
From 11:30am to 1pm the William Webb Ellis trophy will be on display at the Levin Memorial Hall. It’s a once in a lifetime chance to see it before Richie McCaw (hopefully) holds it aloft at Eden Park on 23 October.
This is part of a travelling roadshow, building momentum for the tournament that kicks off in less than two months time.
The final phase of ticket sales has now started, and more than a million tickets have already been sold.
A lot of visitors will be spending time in our region during the Cup. Beyond the fun factor of playing host, this will boost our local tourism, businesses, and industry. It’s a great chance to showcase the best of our local culture and way of life to 85,000 international visitors, and the 2000 media that are expected to visit.
The Rugby World Cup is the third largest sporting event in the world and New Zealand’s largest event ever. Millions of people around the globe will be watching, and New Zealand will be in the spotlight like never before.
The REAL New Zealand Festival will be a big part of this, with special events happening all around the country to involve local communities and show off the best of New Zealand.
Last year the Prime Minister and myself launched a $9.5 million fund to support community events held during the tournament. This money has now been allocated to a range of concerts, fairs, exhibitions, street markets and parades.
The Rahui Football and Sports Club in Otaki have won $18,000 for their event ‘A Cultural Experience,’ involving a weekend of festivities built around a Heartland rugby game between Horowhenua-Kapiti and the East Coast on the 24th of September.
It’s great to see that many other local organisations are gearing up to capitalise on the Rugby World Cup fever. Air New Zealand flights from Kapiti Airport begin just after the final in October, offering tourists the chance to stay a few days longer and fly out from our new airport.
We live in a great region with a lot to be proud of, and this is a wonderful opportunity to welcome the world.