Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Paula Southgate: Hamilton Mayor on the French Rugby team not staying in the city before the test

Transcript

Paula Southgate: Hamilton Mayor on the French Rugby team not staying in the city before the test · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The French rugby team has snubbed staying in Hamilton ahead
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: of the showdown of their tour with the All Blacks
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the Third Test. The squad will stay in Auckland until
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: just two days before the final match due to the
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: world class facilities and the accommodation available in the city
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: of Sales. Nevertheless, Lebleau will take on the national squad
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: at a sold out game at FMG Stadium on Saturday
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: the nineteenth. And I'm sure she's going to be there.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: The mayor of Hamilton is Paula Southgate and she joins me. Now,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: how then, Porler, good.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Morning, and I absolutely am going to be there.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Now. Your response to the French rugby team, can you
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: swear in French?
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: I know I can't, can't well, and I wouldn't.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Good on you. You have more classes than they. What
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: would you like to say to them?
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Oh? Look, I'm not too bothered about it, to be
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: quite honest. We've got a fully sold out stadium, so
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: we've got people coming into town to have a good time.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: They're going to spill out into our businesses and support
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: our hospitality in retail. I know we've got fantastic accommodation. Offer,
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: and I know we've got a fantastic stadium, So I
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: think it's a little bit more of their loss for hours.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: If this becomes a bit of a trend though, if
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: the word gets out to international teams around the world,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: does it hurt the city's ability to host big games
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: going forward? After all, this is the first test you've
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: had for three years now.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: I don't believe it does. Look, we had FIFA in
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: last year. We hosted FIFA at Women's World Cup. They
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: said to me directly that our hosting was some of
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: the best they had in the whole time they were away.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: They were very, very pleased with the facilities at our stadium,
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: with the changing facilities, with the training facilities around town,
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: and had no issues staying in Hamilton either. Look, you know,
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: I know we're a great city with lots to offer.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: I think it's a French's loss and our game.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: What have they lost? I mean, what are they missing
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: out on by not staying in Hamilton? Obviously a trip
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: to the gardens.
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: Oh, obviously, a trip to gardens number one Trip Advisor
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: travel attraction in New Zealand. So that's that's something that
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: they should have come down to see. For sure. But look,
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: you know, Hamilton's an easygoing city. We've got all that
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: you need here. We've got great hotels, we've got great stadium.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: As I say, we haven't got the traffic congestion. It's
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: easy to move around. It's nice and quiet, and you know,
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: I think they would have had a very relaxing time
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: and they were a good form for the game.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: They should have gone for a run around the lake.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Whenever I go to Hamilton, I go for a walk
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: around the lake. It's very, very pretty. Now you say that,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: you said pretty.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: And the river Park Riverway as well.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: Of course there's a lovely parade down the river and
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: you go past the spitfire and it's all good. Hey,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: are you still the fastest growing city in the country
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: or has christ ur It's taken over that mantle.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: No, as far as I know, we're still the fastest
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: between the fastest for the last two years, and the
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: demographers that I speak to, all these population experts, as
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: far as they can tell us that we probably will
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: be for another two to five years. It's all happening
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: here in Hamilton. And actually, you know, I think think
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: sometimes people forget that we're a city that's come of
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: age and we've got a lot of really great things
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: going on here and as I say, easy living, easy
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: to get around, friendly people. But at the end of
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: the day with the French, it doesn't matter because we're
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: going to beat them on the pitch.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: Hey boiler, great. I probably should have charged you for that,
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: and but there we go. Pow the south Gate, Mayor
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: of Hamilton. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Listen live to News Talks it'd be from five am weekdays,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.