Positive Environmental Impacts
An environmental responsibility programme was created for the Rugby World Cup to maintain New Zealand’s reputation for good environmental standards. This programme delivered both positive short term and long term, national and regional benefits for New Zealand. A positive long term environmental impact is that the establishment of this programme set a high environmentally-responsible standard for future Rugby World Cups and other large-scale events held in New Zealand. Another positive long-term impact is that it improved recycling facilities in host cities such as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. This is evident in a survey of Aucklanders in which 11.4% reported that they felt services such as rubbish collection and street maintenance were even better compared to the usual level. Other long term impacts include improvements to infrastructure – for example during the redevelopment of Eden Park, more than 70% of demolition materials were recycled or re-used. As well as the seats, 30 doors were also recycled and sent to the Pacific Islands to be reused there. As a result of the redevelopment of Eden Park, there is now a 50% reduction in filtered water use at Eden Park by collecting rainwater from the roof and filtering stormwater through garden beds and soak holes, so that it can be recycled and used onsite for irrigation. A significant impact of the Rugby World Cup is that more people have started to use public transport. One of the five legacy goals was to make public transport a habit for Aucklanders. Trains, buses and ferries were a very popular way to get to the matches with 72.5% of Eden Park crowds using them. A positive long-term environmental effect of the 2011 Rugby World Cup was that despite Opening Night disasters, 36.5% of Auckland residents reported that they would be more likely to use public transport since the RWC. This has a positive environmental effect in the long term because it reduces greenhouse gases.