Community ballot for 60 chances to attend either the Irish or Georgian civic welcomes

There will be a community ballot for 60 chances to attend either the Irish or Georgian civic welcomes, Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Vanessa van Uden announced today.
“Both these teams will be arriving at the New Zealand border via Queenstown and I am delighted that this gives our district the opportunity to officially welcome the Irish and Georgian teams,” Mayor van Uden said.

Although the criteria meant the civic welcomes would be relatively intimate affairs with limited attendance, the Council had decided membership from the community was vital.

“We will have local rugby represented but we also wanted a chance for our people to come and experience this historic occasion,” she said.

The Irish civic welcome would be held on the 4 September, and Georgia's on the 6 September, both occasions at Skyline, Queenstown. The remaining two teams training at Queenstown, England and Romania, would receive their civic welcomes in Dunedin.

The ballot - which can be entered at the QLDC offices on Gorge Road (above the library) or by filling out a form at the Wanaka Council office on Ardmore Street - would be drawn in August.

“This is an amazing opportunity and one that I hope people take on. I wish everyone the best of luck!” Mayor van Uden said.

Those that miss out on the ballot will have another opportunity to welcome the Irish and Georgian teams at Queenstown Airport. The teams fly into Queenstown on September 1 and September 5 respectively.

The airport welcome event for the Irish team will be at 3.15pm and at 5.25pm for the Georgian team. More than a 100 local children will join the crowd to help welcome the teams.