Will NZ shine as a nation at the Rugby World Cup?

Spectators line up for a coffee in the South Stand of Eden Park, Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibb

Opinion

The economic benefits of the Rugby World Cup may have been wildly overestimated by the tournament's backers, a senior academic said yesterday as the Reserve Bank hosed down expectations of a $700 million boost to the economy.

The Reserve Bank has published a paper on the macroeconomic impact of the cup in which it set out the assumptions underpinning its February estimate of $700 million in spending by visitors.

The Reserve Bank has stuck with its $700 million estimate despite expected visitor numbers rising from 85,000 to 95,000, citing offsetting factors such as the strength of our dollar.

Will NZ shine as a nation at the Rugby World Cup? Here is the latest selection of Your Views: