Govt held back bad RWC news

Bob Parker, Steve Tew, Martin Snedden, Mike Miller, Bernard Lappasset and Murray McCully. Photo / Mark Mitchell

New documents reveal that key decision-makers knew days before going public that Rugby World Cup matches would be taken away from quake-hit Christchurch because the city would not be able to host them.

The revelations are contained in papers released under the Official Information Act from the office of Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully. They follow criticism that the Government dragged out the announcement for longer than was needed to try to avoid being the bearer of bad tidings.

Staff in McCully's office have chosen to withhold a series of emails between ministerial offices about how the issue would be presented. The public announcement was made on March 16.

McCully refused to discuss why some documents were held back, although his letter said the decision relied on a section of the OIA aimed at protecting officials who offered advice.

A briefing paper to McCully on March 11 spelled out a crisis in accommodation. Only a quarter of the city's 8200 hotel beds were available. Motel and backpacker beds had also been affected, although to a lesser extent.

McCully was told that a large area around the central city was likely to be off-limits for four to six months while 1.5 million tonnes of rubble was removed.

"Even if some of the hotels in the no-access zone can be brought up to scratch on time, they may well be standing alone in an empty landscape with no immediate facilities around them," the paper said.

Also on March 11, Rugby World Cup 2011 general manager Nigel Cass briefed government officials that it was possible to start work getting a new turf built, but that "this requirement would need to be prioritised ahead of other urgent needs". He also raised concerns about the turf drainage if the stormwater system was not functioning.

On March 14, stadium managers VBase had a board meeting at which they decided they could not give the Government any guarantee the stadium would be ready. Two days later McCully travelled to Christchurch and announced the city was to lose its games.

Opposition RWC spokesman Trevor Mallard said the attempt to stage-manage the announcement showed the Government was trying to avoid having to deliver the bad news itself.

Mallard blogged on March 11 anyone who watched television would know "there is no way Christchurch can host the quarter finals".

RWC chief executive Martin Snedden said that "getting information out of Christchurch in a timely way was incredibly difficult" because of the stress on victims.