I hope those who played a key role in promoting and co-ordinating the week long list of activities will shortly get together for a debrief. What worked well and where things could be improved. Often this exercise is not well handled. People get defensive and feel their efforts were not appreciated. That's not correct. In a debrief you have the opportunity to find out what you do really well. That in those areas you have things down pat. In other areas you will hear where improvements and changes will need to be made in the future.
It could be getting people out of the stadium after the game a lot quicker than on Saturday night. I don't think the problem was about emptying the stadium quickly but rather getting the traffic, including buses, back into town quicker. Over an hour is far too long. By that time restaurants were no longer serving meals. This caused a lot of grumbling. The crowds were hungry. I think hot dogs and sausage sizzle stands would have done a roaring trade set up on the Village Green. This is when the food stalls were required. And the Big Brekkie on the Village Green the next morning could have started at 10am as most people would have got off to a slow start on Sunday.
One business owner said there should have been portaloos set up at either end of Eat Streat, in Arawa St in particular. When people couldn't get into the bars and restaurants because of the crowds they went looking for a toilet and ended up peeing where they thought they couldn't be seen. They were seen and it wasn't a good look.
Extra rubbish bins in the Eat Streat surrounding area was another suggestion. I'm not sure how practicable these suggestions are but all feedback should be examined. Positive and negative.
A great team effort was made by so many including: retailers, the hospitality industry, accommodation sector, council, police and security staff, schools, individuals and members of the public. Rotorua citizens gave true expression to "manaakitanga" valuing and taking care of visitors. They turned it on and next time will do it even better.
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is a Rotorua Lakes Council councillor, member of the Lakes District Health Board and chairs the North Island Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.