Dunedin businesses say it was their “busiest day of the year” when the All Blacks came to town on Saturday.
A sold-out crowd of 28,532 filled the stands at Forsyth Barr Stadium to watch the All Blacks test against France, the team battling to fend off a plucky French side before winning 31-27.
There was a hush among the crowd when the All Blacks first performed the haka, beneath a spotlight courtesy of last year’s lighting upgrade to the stadium.
All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor led the haka with a new māripi, a traditional Māori weapon or tool that was specially carved for them.
Otago forwards Fabian Holland and Christian Lio-Willie also made promising debuts.
The Craic Irish Tavern co-owner Claire Grenfell said Saturday was, for them, “definitely the busiest day of the year”.
“The rugby crowd’s always a fun crowd. You generally get very little trouble and there was a really good contingent of French supporters, which really added to the atmosphere.”
Major events such as test matches were “a real lifeline” and “absolutely vital” for the city’s hospitality sector, she said.
Christchurch’s $683 million One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha is scheduled to open in April, with concerns Dunedin could lose out on hosting another All Blacks test next year once completed.
Ms Grenfell said it would definitely hurt if Dunedin did not host another test match in 2026, but had faith in the Dunedin stadium’s reputation.
“I realise Christchurch getting their stadium online is a potential sort of threat to that.
“Hopefully Dunedin’s had a really good long track record of delivering on events and having a great atmosphere in town as well, which is really key.”
Brew Bar co-owner Mark Fraser said they filled up with patrons pretty quickly from Saturday lunch onwards.
It was “absolutely chocker”.
“Obviously, busiest day of the year for us. Friday was good, but Saturday was unbelievable.”
The business also hosted a separate activation in the Octagon, which went “incredibly well”, Mr Fraser said.
It reached capacity of almost 400 patrons not long after 3pm.
Events such as Saturday’s test were “crucial to the hospitality scene”, he said.
“[Saturday] is a perfect example of how well Dunedin does do big events … from a financial point of view, it would be a bitter pill to swallow if we didn’t get one.”
Dunedin Venues chief executive Paul Doorn said it was a great night and he was “captivated” by the game.
It was his first All Blacks test since taking up the reins of the stadium, and was “a big step up from Highlanders games”.
“As expected, a lot of hot chips consumed, a lot of pies eaten, and a lot of people enjoyed themselves from a hospitality perspective.”
Mr Doorn said they were working with New Zealand Rugby on the test schedule for the next two years and another venue, such as Christchurch’s new stadium, created additional competition.
“Am I fearful of it? Not at all.”
When events came to Dunedin, the “whole city gets behind it”, he said.
“Doing an event under a roof like that means you are completely weatherproofed and the quality of the product gets to shine on the field.
“And ultimately, the All Blacks continue to have a lot of success at Dunedin.
“From our perspective, if you’re New Zealand Rugby trying to weigh up your options – not just Christchurch or Dunedin, but options across New Zealand – I think we had our very best foot forward last night.
“I’m sure that will hold us in good stead for games into the future.”
A police spokesman said no incidents were reported on Saturday night.
tim.scott@odt.co.nz
