If nothing else, you have to admire Rodney Hide’s… well hide. After foisting on Auckland an unelected and so, undemocratic local body system he had this to say to Radio New Zealand when asked if the Super City was part of the reason for the shemozzle:

“The great thing about this is that we have one mayor to deal with instead of eight… the super city has been the big plus in all of this. Yes, there are lessons to be learned and everyone is learning them. It’s about the management of the event on the night not about the structure for the Super City”.   

But Dear Rod, this isn’t the fandango you’re dancing here and it’s just a teensiest bit possible that you might have missed a step. If in the first place, the Super City’s super new structure and its super new members had done the job properly, none of this would have happened - and no lessons would have had to be learned.

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Rugby carries with it its own  joys – and toxins. Thirty years ago it nearly destroyed itself after the Springbok Tour. Now it’s on the verge of doing the same but this time by   media and corporate overkill. Does everything - from some of Air New Zealand’s domestic fleet to its in-flight paper cups have to represent the All Blacks? On one flight last week passengers were handed cups with the jersey numbers of the ABs.    

And media – what’s with them? At one stage before the tournament got under way the New Zealand Herald featured a ‘Public enemy list’. Public enemy number one was Australian player, Quade Cooper. Number two was also Australian – a possum. Three on the list was Alain Mafart and Dominique Prieur – the two French secret service agents arrested and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment after the Rainbow Warrior bombing.

Last in the list under the title of ‘Pending’ was the AB’s coach Graham Henry - that’s pretty much jingoism and disloyalty in the same silly feature. There’s also the first hint of people becoming weary of the haka and the Maori voice. For that you can hardly blame Maori – what happened to the Pakeha voice – was it muted by years of PC?

But ahh… the joys of the cup in Auckland –  they are genuinely inspiring and memorable. Everything from new Wynyard Quarter downtown to flags on every street and newly re-developed areas. It makes you feel as if Auckland is a world class city -   that’s if you don’t count its Cinderella, public transport. 

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And now some music for thought  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAY1UoQYMHk&feature=player_embedded