KEY POINTS:
The teams are arriving, ball girls have been selected and marshalls are ready to begin ushering the expected 30,000 visitors.
After a frantic build-up, the contest to find the world's best netball team is about to start.
More than 250 volunteers from New Zealand's 12 netball regions will
be on hand during the World Netball Championships, which begin next Saturday at Auckland's Waitakere Trusts Stadium.
In a nation with 175,000 netball players, the organisers were inundated with offers of help.
"The whole New Zealand community has been involved," said the event's general manager, Jane Patterson.
"It's fantastic, every kid wants to be a ball girl."
New Zealand was only confirmed as host for the tournament last December after the volatile political situation in Fiji meant the competition could not be hosted there.
Ms Patterson said it was a tight nine-month timeframe to pull it all together, but everything was on schedule. "It is all on target at this stage - we are aiming to produce a world-class event."
More than 30,000 visitors are expected to attend the eight-day tournament and despite complaints over the price of tickets, organisers say only a few $500 seats are left in the three-day final package at the sharp end of the event.
Ms Patterson said those high prices were necessary to allow the earlier round-robin games to be more accessible to the public.
A one-day pass to initial games costs $25.
Sixteen teams from countries in Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas will vie for the world title.
South Africa and Scotland have arrived in New Zealand for their final build-up, Singapore arrive today and the Silver Ferns go into their last training camp tomorrow.
New Zealand's perennial rivals, Australia, are in camp in Melbourne and arrive on Monday.
The teams and their fans will be able to enjoy a Netball Village entertainment marquee, featuring a stage for live Kiwi bands and musicians.
Next weekend's opening ceremony will include performances from the Feelers, Spacifix and The Lady Killers.
The national anthem will be sung by New Zealand Idol judge and long-time netball MC Frankie Stevens.
Each team will be looked after by two New Zealand hosts, who will welcome them to the country and act as guides throughout their stay.
"We have chosen people who know Auckland, and who may be able to get through any language barrier," Ms Patterson said.
The Silver Ferns meet the "Cinderella" team, the Malawi Queens, in the opening match.
Malawi has become a netball force over the past 10 years, coming sixth at the last Commonwealth games and drawing a three-match series with South Africa in July.
Ms Patterson said the game would make a spectacular opening to the tournament.
"They play a very different style of netball to the Silver Ferns. It will be a great game, and add to the excitement of the opening ceremony."
Proud past
* A world netball tournament was suggested by the International Federation of Women's Basketball and Netball Associations in 1960.
* The first world championships were held in 1963, at the Chelsea College of Physical Education in England.
* It was the start of transtasman rivalry - in a close final, Australia beat New Zealand 37-36.
* Since then, Australia has taken the title eight times, and New Zealand has won it four times.
* This year's tournament has been transferred from Fiji to New Zealand because of the coup in the South Pacific nation and the resulting volatile political situation.
The eco-friendly games
Waitakere City plans to set an example for the world to follow by making the Netball World Championships a zero-waste event.
In line with the eco-city philosophy, which focuses on sustainable living, Waitakere has pledged to make the event as environmentally friendly as possible.
Visitors to the tournament will be served food in biodegradable bowls or plates and cardboard noodle boxes, with utensils made of wood.
Recycling will also be a focus with separate bins for food scraps, recyclables and waste to landfill to be set up around a Netball Village - a marquee erected outside the stadium.
The marquee will feature a live stage for Kiwi bands and musicians, and a cook-off between local chefs and celebrities.
Waitakere City Council public affairs adviser Benedict Collins said: "It will be the place for people to meet, dine and be entertained before and after the games."
The village will also feature merchandise and tourism facilities, food and Pacific Island stalls.
"Being clean and green are really things we are trying to emphasise. We are on a world stage, so it is important we try and show that this matters," Mr Collins said.
The zero-waste initiative should be an example for all events, regardless of size, to try to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, he said.
Who to support if:
* You are feeling patriotic - New Zealand. Team NZ couldn't quite do it, the Black Caps missed out and the All Blacks were a wash-out. Pick yourself out of the gutter, throw away your hanky and back the Silver Ferns to come through and restore some much-needed national sporting pride.
* You like to play it safe - Australia. The statistics speak for themselves. Australian teams, eight times winners, have won a staggering 93 per cent of all world championship games they have played. Their record is second to none.
* You have faith in the underdog - Jamaica. The Jamaicans have lost series to Australia, New Zealand and England already this year - but these sunshine girls love a crowd, and they're sure to rev up proceedings up with their aerobatic play.
* You never want to show your face again - England. This English team are fresh from an excellent year, going down only to Australia, who beat them by seven goals in May. Supporting the Poms has got to be a no-go though, hasn't it?
* You like to live on the edge - Trinidad & Tobago. The only team apart from New Zealand and Australia to win the world title, when in 1979 by some bizarre circumnavigation of conventional tournament placings they ended up sharing the title with both countries.
* Other teams: Barbados, Botswana, Cook Islands, Fiji, Malawi, Malaysia, Samoa, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Wales.
