Photo: Auckland Council

Media release

4 November 2015

Auckland welcomes victorious All Blacks

Thousands of Auckland fans took the chance to greet the back-to-back Rugby World Cup champion All Blacks in the central city today, just hours after the team flew in from London.

Early inclement weather cleared to leave the All Blacks Auckland Homecoming Celebration bathed in sunshine. Fans young and old lined city streets as the team was driven from their hotel to Victoria Park, where a huge crowd estimated at more than 20,000 greeted the team during an informal walk through, followed by an official ceremony.

Four years on from the team’s triumph at Eden Park in RWC 2011, Mayor Len Brown officially welcomed the team, granted captain Richie McCaw the ‘Freedom of the City’, and presented him with a taonga as a token of the region’s appreciation for the team’s triumph on Sunday morning.

Mayor Brown said: “It was a glorious event and fantastic to see Aucklanders turn out in their tens of thousands, in full voice, to welcome home an incredible team that has made world rugby history.

“It was also a pleasure for me, on behalf of Aucklanders, to honour Richie McCaw with the Freedom of the City to recognise his outstanding leadership and achievement.”
Council-controlled organisation Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) put the event together, with the support of New Zealand Rugby, mana whenua Ngati Whatua, Auckland Transport, and agencies including New Zealand Police.

Entertainment included Auckland’s popular opera singers Sole3 Mio, and Ladi6 and DJ 09, who kept the crowd in the mood, before the team arrived and was welcomed on to Victoria Park with a rousing karanga from Ngati Whatua. The players slowly made their way through the throngs signing autographs, posing for ‘selfies’ and shaking hands.

A hit of the event was 10-year-old Ruatoria boy Kuratiwaka Ngarimu, whose video message to All Black star winger Nehe Milner-Skudder had gone viral before Sunday’s final. Kuratiwaka and his mother were flown to Auckland by Air New Zealand and hosted at the Sky City Grand Hotel.

They surprised Nehe at the event with a home-made cake Kuratiwaka promised him, and he was able to present it on stage in front of his heroes.

Later, Kuratiwaka said: “It's the best day of my life. My highlight was going on the ABs bus, having a hongi with Nehe and Ma'a, and shaking hands with all the team. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Victor gave me his jacket and Nehe gifted me his match boots - meanage! I'll never forget this."

ENDS

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