Dunne: Cup Fan Zone closure 'lame'

Wellington fans are going to need to find new places to watch the games after October 12. Photo / Getty Images

A Wellington City Council decision to close its world cup fanzone two weeks early is "lame" and "like closing at 10pm on New Year's eve", Wellington MP Peter Dunne says.

WCC has not applied for resource consent to open the city's waterfront fanzone past the Rugby World Cup quarter finals.

It has pointed fans to newly arranged game screenings at the Wellington town hall.

Mr Dunne, revenue minister and Ohariu-Belmont MP, said the fanzone should stay open to allow residents to enjoy the latter stages of the world cup from the waterfront.

"Lame. Lame. Lame. Seriously, why on earth would you close the fanzone - a really successful community and visitor focal point - two weeks before the tournament ends?

"That is like closing at 10pm on New Year's eve. It is wrong and short-sighted on every level."

He derided the Town Hall screenings as hastily arranged and inadequate.

"The last minute Town Hall alternative is just that - last minute thinking when you realise you have stuffed up.

"Who wants to sit inside in rows of chairs in a Town Hall, when they could be having fun, better weather and longer sunny evenings on the waterfront?

"It is a no-brainer that the fanzone should have run for the length of the Rugby World Cup."

The Wellington fan zone, 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.

However Ms Wade-Brown said the council will be screening the semi-finals and final free on a big screen at the Town Hall, which will be an alcohol-free, family friendly venue.

Eastbourne grandmother Ann Garry, who had been to the fan zone about four times for games, told Fairfax Media she was disappointed to be told by council the fan zone would be closing for the four games.

"It's like, this is the World Cup, it hasn't been here since 1987 and even if it moves up to Auckland, we're still here... It does seem a shame that, in Wellington, which has supported it very well, we are just told to go to a bar. People would still go down there, there are still fans around," she told the paper.

Other rugby fans vented their disappointment on social networking website Twitter.

"Wellington Council closing fan zone for knockout stages? MUPPETS! Get this fixed!," ruggerblogger wrote.

"Nice one Wellington Town Council - no fan zone for semi and finals of #RWC - REALLY? Can you guys organize a p*ss*p in a brewery?" LouHou said.

Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden was asked about the decision during a nzherald.co.nz live chat this morning.

"It will be interesting to see, as was done by the Dunedin City Council, whether the Wellington City Council revisits this."