Save the fan zone
September 30th, 2011 at 12:08 pm by David FarrarAaarrgh. This is the stupidest decision ever.
The Herald reports:
The Wellington City Council has been slammed for not applying for resource consent for the city’s Fan Zone past the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
While New Zealanders around the rest of the country will be able to enjoy the final and semi-finals at free public fan zones, Wellingtonians will either have to watch the games at home or at a pub.
The fan zone, situated next to the new Wharewaka on Odlins Plaza, fits 3,000 fans and was granted resource consent only up to October 12.
Mayor Celia Wade-Brown told Newstalk ZB it has always been the plan to close the waterfront fan zone on October 9.
She said it is part of a country-wide approach, with many overseas supporters likely to follow their teams to Auckland for the final stages of the tournament.
Oh for fuck’s sake, this is such a stupid decision. What about all the Wellingtonians? We’ve been loving the fan zone. I’ve been raving about it to everyone.
Shit, I was planning to watch the final there. Nothing better than celebrating the All Blacks winning the Rugby World Cup than with 3,000 of your mates. And we would all be mates that night.
Please, please City Councillors change this decision. This is probably the last ever Rugby World Cup in NZ. Any Councillor who votes against keeping the fan zone going should be targeted for eviction in 2013!
UPDATE: If the Council won’t budget, can Murray McCully seize control of the Wellington Waterfront also please. Guarantee you a huge spike upwards in the party vote for National in Wellington!
Tags: Rugby World Cup, Wellington City Council
September 30th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Well, that’s one way of looking at it. Another is that the fan zone is a ratepayer subsidy to the RWC at the expense of the Wellington hospitality sector – which has not done well out of the tournament so far, other than places immediately adjacent to the fan zone. I think the Council has probably provided the fan zone for exactly as long as it was required to, and not a minute longer.
My response is – meh. It’s not like we are short of nice places to watch rugby.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
What the fuck! I have been loving the fan zone (not the price of beer however deal with it) I’m going there this weekend on Sunday for an afternoon session…
Grrrr Council.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
And I thought Auckland had a clusterfuck of a council….nice work Celia.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
@ Captain Neurotic – bring your umbrella
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Cone to Dunedin then, our fanzone is open right through to final.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
The sort of thing you’d expect from the ASCC.
Dammit, SGTH got there first!
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
I was very lucky to be in Milan on the night of the Football WC final in 2006 and go to the main piazza to watch Italy beat France along with about 20,000 mad Italians – I’m no football fan but it was amazing to be in that sort of crowd watching the game on a big screen – fanzones for these sorts of events are a great way to be apart of it if you can’t go to the actual event. Sort your crap out Wellington.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
What is it with the Greens trying to stop the average people having fun.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
We haven’t been in our fanzone yet, it’s been to cold.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
I suppose that the only ‘comfort’ I can take from this daft decision by the Wellington City Council, is that we could expect no less from the moron who is at the helm of the ship here in Auckland.
Wellington has the mad hatter Celia Wade-Brown but we have loony Len Brown. Maybe it is the ‘Brown’ factor that clouds the judgement???
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Folks, the Wellington City Council knows EXACTLY what it is doing.
For example, before the SA vs Fiji game I witnessed three council staff move along an unauthorised busker.
The council knows what matters. And what matters, of course, is that 19 year old female buskers do not play music to an unsuspecting public.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Ok, own up. Who the F**K voted for Celia?
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Darein Fenton voted for her!
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
Can McCully use his special powers to seize control of it?
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
we don’t even have one in tauranga, NZ’s 4th largest city (some say, we surpassed hamilton but no census to prove it).
They put up a few food stalls around the waterfront, but , this would not qualify as a fanzone as such.
The council are currently arguing about whether to install a big screen — but, they may not reach agreement until after the cup ends
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Ben, i also saw them move along some nice old little hippy ladies from outside Post house. some fucktard has his high vis vest on, with WCC Compliance Officer on it. bet he loves that.
not entirely sure why the local govt whos job is to make sure the library stays open, is brown nosing a private entity.
this crony capitalism backed up by elected officials who have overstepped their role is getting a bit much.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Celia, the Greenie killjoy, and mayor of a killjoy council.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Grendel, ah yes the high-vis vests. Compliance Officer. Brilliant.
I think it was the sight of 3 of them spending 5 minutes discussing non-compliance with someone who could not be more harmless. 1 would be enough. 0 would have been better.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
toad opines: “Can McCully use his special powers to seize control of it?”
Not a silly idea – and it came from a Gween! Someone needs to step in and sort this shit out – a whole lot of visitors have come to the Capital City and what do they get? SFA – because the current Gween Mayor has pissed on the party!
Nice one Celia….
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Major Piss Off, I’m in Wellington for the final and was all set for the Fanzone.
I know there will be plenty of other options but for godsake, down here in Chch we’ve had Mystery Morrison on the radio fronting a full blown advertising campaign to get people up to the damn place?
WTF?
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
This is fucking bullshit, I wanted to watch the Semis there!! I haven’t made it there yet as there have been too many things going on at the moment, now it looks like I HAVE to go next weekend for the quarters.
F U Celia! First you force the zone to close early as fuck, then you won’t pick up my overflow of glass bottles as they were in supermarket bags (not WCC recycling bags), and now you are closing the party before the end of the night?
WHAT. A. FUCKING. KILLJOY.
Vote:Glad I didn’t vote for you, ol’ Prendy would have been way better!
September 30th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
You guys should come up to Auckland for the final – you can park at Pukekohe and get the train in.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
@DPF – A further thought. You should ask the Council how much the fan zone has cost so far, and how much it will cost to extend it until the final. You may be surprised.
At the very least you’ll be able to work out the cost of being mates for a night with 2999 others…
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
True Nick
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Celia and Lenny up a tree K I S S I N G
Vote:what a couple of fools.
Off to the cloud Saturday .. driving this time. Go the mighty Jocks
September 30th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
I hear the idiot mayor has “changed” her mind
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
Confirmed.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
WOW! So the free market champions can’t party unless the government puts it on?
So much for the free market meeting all our needs!
Fucking troughers!
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
This is a very queer situation.
Vote:But then, who is the M.P. for Wellington Central?
September 30th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
so our crappy green tinted “mayor” finally works out that her job is dependent on what the actual ratepayers want, rather than her bicycle clip wearing tree hugger mates.
I sometimes snigger at Auckland having Len Brown, but, then I look at Celia. At least Brown believes his bullshit, Celia is a dumb- green (but I repeat myself), she wouldn’t know what leading was if it bit her on the arse.
Vote:September 30th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Originaly fanzone was due to close when Welligtnon matches (pools and quarter finals) finished and we thought many fans would follow the games north.
With the local demand to continue enjoying the fanzone the first thing to do was to agree to open the Town Hall for the last four games. Today I got confirmation that we can open the fanzone till the end of the games. Great news that locals can enjoy all the games.
Don’t believe everything you see or hear on the news!
Vote:October 1st, 2011 at 8:08 am
I don’t generally believe politicians either.
Vote: