Latest news with #VinceCocurullo
1News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- 1News
Māori All Blacks v Scotland brings sporting buzz to Whangārei
Excitement is building and accommodation is packed in Whangārei today ahead of the city's biggest sporting fixture in three years. The gates at Semenoff Stadium open at 12.30pm with kick-off in the Māori All Blacks versus Scotland clash due at 3.35pm. The double-header gets underway at 1.05pm when the Black Ferns take on the Black Ferns XV. It's the first time in 25 years the Māori All Blacks and Scotland have met in Whangārei. It's also the city's biggest game since New Zealand met Scotland in pool play of the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup, which was held in October 2022 due to the Covid pandemic. ADVERTISEMENT Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said more than 9000 tickets had been sold as of Friday, with the final number expected to top 10,000. He said the grandstand had sold out but there was still room on the embankments. "The clash of these two nations, it hasn't happened in Whangārei for 25 years. It's going to be an epic day," he said. The influx of visitors would also mean a "huge" economic boost for the city, in mid-winter when it was most needed. "Let's put this way, I don't think there's a spare bedroom available in any of the hotels." Cocurullo said excitement about the match was heightened by the Whangārei District's strong Māori and Scottish heritage. Large numbers of Scots settled at Whangārei Heads and in Waipū in the mid-19th century, travelling from their homeland via the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. ADVERTISEMENT Cocurullo was also excited about the Black Ferns versus Black Ferns XV opener, which he said would help decide who ended up playing for New Zealand in upcoming international matches. Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leah McKerrow said the city was already buzzing on Friday, and she had spotted many supporters on the streets clad in traditional Scottish kilts. "The more we can encourage sports, entertainment and arts events into our region, the better for our economy ... anything like this is an opportunity for small businesses to pick up the extra volume of people that are around," she said. Whangārei hotels and motels RNZ spoke to on Friday were booked out and were still fielding phone calls from out-of-towners hoping to stay for the weekend. The Settlers Hotel, on Hatea Drive near the city centre, had been fully booked by the Scottish team. Pubs and cafes were also girding themselves for a big weekend. Rob Lang, of the Judge House of Ale on Walton Street, said his establishment had embraced the game by bringing in a Scottish-themed menu and decorating the bar with Scottish paraphernalia. ADVERTISEMENT He had brought in extra staff to deal with the expected game-night crowd. Special menu items included mince and tatties (stewed mince with mashed potato) and "stovies" (a dish made with potatoes, onions, roast meat and beef dripping) as well as some New Zealand favourites such as ika mata (raw fish salad) and snapper burgers with frybread. Lang was hopeful of hosting the Scots at some point, after the team's selectors dropped in on Thursday night to check out the premises.
RNZ News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Whangārei welcomes buzz ahead of rare sporting spectacle as it hosts Māori All Blacks and Scotland
Whangārei - often quiet in mid-winter - is expected to be packed ahead of the city's biggest sporting event in years. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf Excitement is building and accommodation is packed in Whangārei today ahead of the city's biggest sporting fixture in three years. The gates at Semenoff Stadium open at 12.30pm with kick-off in the Māori All Blacks versus Scotland clash due at 3.35pm. The double-header gets underway at 1.05pm when the Black Ferns take on the Black Ferns XV. It's the first time in 25 years the Māori All Blacks and Scotland have met in Whangārei. It's also the city's biggest game since New Zealand met Scotland in pool play of the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup, which was held in October 2022 due to the Covid pandemic. Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said more than 9000 tickets had been sold as of Friday, with the final number expected to top 10,000. He said the grandstand had sold out but there was still room on the embankments. "The clash of these two nations, it hasn't happened in Whangārei for 25 years. It's going to be an epic day," he said. The influx of visitors would also mean a "huge" economic boost for the city, in mid-winter when it was most needed. "Let's put this way, I don't think there's a spare bedroom available in any of the hotels." Cocurullo said excitement about the match was heightened by the Whangārei District's strong Māori and Scottish heritage. Large numbers of Scots settled at Whangārei Heads and in Waipū in the mid-19th century, travelling from their homeland via the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Cocurullo was also excited about the Black Ferns versus Black Ferns XV opener, which he said would help decide who ended up playing for New Zealand in upcoming international matches. Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leah McKerrow said the city was already buzzing on Friday, and she had spotted many supporters on the streets clad in traditional Scottish kilts. "The more we can encourage sports, entertainment and arts events into our region, the better for our economy ... anything like this is an opportunity for small businesses to pick up the extra volume of people that are around," she said. Whangārei hotels and motels RNZ spoke to on Friday were booked out and were still fielding phone calls from out-of-towners hoping to stay for the weekend. The Settlers Hotel, on Hatea Drive near the city centre, had been fully booked by the Scottish team. Pubs and cafes were also girding themselves for a big weekend. Rob Lang, of the Judge House of Ale on Walton Street, said his establishment had embraced the game by bringing in a Scottish-themed menu and decorating the bar with Scottish paraphernalia. He had brought in extra staff to deal with the expected game-night crowd. Special menu items included mince and tatties (stewed mince with mashed potato) and "stovies" (a dish made with potatoes, onions, roast meat and beef dripping) as well as some New Zealand favourites such as ika mata (raw fish salad) and snapper burgers with frybread. Lang was hopeful of hosting the Scots at some point, after the team's selectors dropped in on Thursday night to check out the premises. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Northland Councils Explore Collaborative Opportunities For Water Service Delivery
Press Release – Whangarei District Council The Coalition Governments Local Water Done Well programme has been established to address Aotearoas long-standing water infrastructure challenges. Northland's District Councils have each heard feedback from their communities on the future of water services delivery, and established a cross-Council working group to work through what collaboration across Councils could look like. The Coalition Government's 'Local Water Done Well' programme has been established to address Aotearoa's long-standing water infrastructure challenges. It empowers Councils to decide how they will deliver water services, while meeting increased regulations, supporting growth and being financially sustainable. It encourages Councils to work with neighbouring districts on solutions that could benefit the larger region. Mayor of Whangārei and Chair of the newly established 'Northland Water Services Working Group', Vince Cocurullo said, 'Each Council has now completed formal consultation with the community where options were proposed for how drinking, waste and storm water services should be delivered in the future.' Consultations indicated that in Whangārei there was a clear preference for keeping its water services in-house with increased collaboration with the other Northland Councils, while Kaipara's results were in favour of a Northland Council Controlled Organisation (CCO), and Far North showed preference for a strengthened in-house model with improvements to delivery, governance, compliance and financial management. 'While options and preferences in each district vary, all of us are committed to getting around the table and evaluating the opportunities of working together and solving some of the challenges we all experience,' said Mayor Cocurullo. The Northland Water Services Working Group is made up of elected members from each Council, supported by their staff. Representatives from the Department of Internal Affairs and an independent advisor will attend each meeting, and the working group will make recommendations to each Council for decision making later this year. 'Whangārei, Kaipara and Far North District Councils have been working together to model the financials for a Northland CCO so that option could be included for consultation,' said Mayor Cocurullo. 'All three District Councils are committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability, efficiency and regulatory compliance of water services in Northland. With the community's feedback, we are able to do further investigations on collaborative opportunities, such as the viability of shared or managed services, or a Northland CCO.' Each District Council is required to submit their water service delivery plan to Central Government before 3 September 2025. More information about Local Water Done Well and the results of each Council's consultation can be found below. Notes
Scoop
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Northland Councils Explore Collaborative Opportunities For Water Service Delivery
Northland's District Councils have each heard feedback from their communities on the future of water services delivery, and established a cross-Council working group to work through what collaboration across Councils could look like. The Coalition Government's 'Local Water Done Well' programme has been established to address Aotearoa's long-standing water infrastructure challenges. It empowers Councils to decide how they will deliver water services, while meeting increased regulations, supporting growth and being financially sustainable. It encourages Councils to work with neighbouring districts on solutions that could benefit the larger region. Mayor of Whangārei and Chair of the newly established 'Northland Water Services Working Group', Vince Cocurullo said, 'Each Council has now completed formal consultation with the community where options were proposed for how drinking, waste and storm water services should be delivered in the future.' Consultations indicated that in Whangārei there was a clear preference for keeping its water services in-house with increased collaboration with the other Northland Councils, while Kaipara's results were in favour of a Northland Council Controlled Organisation (CCO), and Far North showed preference for a strengthened in-house model with improvements to delivery, governance, compliance and financial management. 'While options and preferences in each district vary, all of us are committed to getting around the table and evaluating the opportunities of working together and solving some of the challenges we all experience,' said Mayor Cocurullo. The Northland Water Services Working Group is made up of elected members from each Council, supported by their staff. Representatives from the Department of Internal Affairs and an independent advisor will attend each meeting, and the working group will make recommendations to each Council for decision making later this year. 'Whangārei, Kaipara and Far North District Councils have been working together to model the financials for a Northland CCO so that option could be included for consultation,' said Mayor Cocurullo. 'All three District Councils are committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability, efficiency and regulatory compliance of water services in Northland. With the community's feedback, we are able to do further investigations on collaborative opportunities, such as the viability of shared or managed services, or a Northland CCO.' Each District Council is required to submit their water service delivery plan to Central Government before 3 September 2025. More information about Local Water Done Well and the results of each Council's consultation can be found below. Whangarei District Council: Kaipara District Council: Far North District Council: Notes
