Kaikohe wins Super Rugby bid
A Super Rugby pre-season game is coming to Kaikohe for the first time after the Far North District Council agreed to cover potential losses up to $59,568.
Auckland/Northland franchise the Blues will meet Waikato team the Chiefs at Lindvart Park on February 2, less than two weeks before the season kicks off on February 15.
The news has been greeted with jubilation in Kaikohe, with rugby club president Cheryl Waaka-Smith saying the game would help the town feel embraced and good about itself.
‘‘It’s great for the club and great for Kaikohe ... Kids will get to see their heroes in the flesh, and it’s a chance for the community to show we can do this, we can get behind it and make it a good day.’’
She noted a compelling proposal had been put together by the Kaikohe Rugby Football and Sports Club committee which had already this year shown it had the ability to host major events after running the Taitokerau Rugby League grand final and the Taniwha Shield primary school rugby championships successfully.
The Kaikohe club will host a meeting with the NRU and the Far North District Council in a couple of weeks to figure out how the day will run and a programme, said Smith. She noted that once all the details have been ironed out, the next step will be to get the tickets out on sale to the general public.
The match was only confirmed by the Northland Rugby Union (NRU) on Monday but Smith said she had already been contacted by the college, the business association and others offering to help make the day as big a success as possible.
“It’s not that far away! Everyone is coming on board and letting us know how they can help to make this happen. It will be a great event for the whole district,” she said.
District councillor John Vujcich said the cost to the council would be a maximum of $59,568 only if everything possible went wrong, which was unlikely.
A report by council staff had estimated the game would make a small profit. Even if it made a loss there would be no extra cost to ratepayers because the money would come out of an existing events budget, he said.
The NRU initially approached the Far North District Council (FNDC) with a proposal to hold the event at Kerikeri Domain, the location of a pre-season match in 2011. However, the Kaikohe Rugby Football and Sports Club put up a strong case to have the game at Lindvart Park instead.
The club argued Kaikohe already had a fenced-off ground, changing facilities and ample space for spectators, meaning big savings for the NRU and FNDC. Kerikeri, on the other hand, would need temporary fencing and grandstands, and parking was in short supply. It would also have to bring in portable showers or bus players from the sports complex on the Heritage Bypass.
Due to tight timeframes the proposal couldn’t be considered by the full council but went to last week’s Audit, Risk and Finance Committee meeting instead.