By Daniel Simmons Ritchie

SMALL tourism operators complain that advertising restrictions set for the World Cup are too strict and will see New Zealand companies losing out to big business.

“RWC” and “World Cup 2011” are some of 50 terms forbidden to those who are not  official sponsors of New Zealand’s pre-eminent sporting event.

A spokesman for World Cup Minister Murray McCully says the restrictions, which were put in place under legislation in 2007, are standard brand protection for any major event and will stop businesses from springing up overnight to exploit it.

But Auckland-based Paradise Motor Tours is not convinced. Director Mike Rose says legislation will not stop ambush marketers and will just hinder tour operators.

“To restrict the rest of us who are in the business of bringing tourists to this country, which is our second biggest export earner, to not be able to advertise something that is going to be the biggest event for years to come is, as I said before, completely mad.”

The Rental Vehicle Association has fielded many calls from its members about the restrictions and has made submissions to McCully and the Ministry of Economic Development.

Association chief executive officer Raewyn Bleakley feels a law change is unlikely and says they are advising members to comply with the law as it stands.

However, she says the restrictions may not be black and white:

“There is some latitude for different styles of enforcement within the act and it has been signalled that there may be some leeway to work there.”

McCully’s spokesman confirmed there would need to be some clarification and that guidelines about the restrictions would be released.

“What can be said conclusively is that people are not going to be able to represent themselves as having relationships with the world cup if they don’t have one,” he said.

Green Party MP Keith Locke says that he could understand restricting logos, but words went too far.

“Clearly no one can use a combination of words that implies they are official sponsor, but surely [tour operators] should be able to promote the cup itself in a way that reaches people.”

The Green Party voted against the restrictions, which were passed in 2007 under The Major Event Management Act.

Locke opposed rules in the act which prohibited businesses from advertising products in a similar product range to an official sponsor within a five kilometre radius of the grounds and along major routes leading to the grounds.

Under the Act, if McDonalds were to sponsor the Rugby World Cup no other fast food operator could advertise within five kilometres of Wellington’s Cake Tin and along arteries to the Hutt Valley and Porirua.

Some tour operators have made peace with the restrictions. Wellington Rover managing director Scott Courtenay says while it would be nice to mention the rugby world cup in their advertising, the IRB had a right to protect their brand.

“They’re quite open and honest about what you are allowed to do and what you aren’t allowed to do, that’s been made pretty clear to us.

“So while I possibly don’t agree with it, I think probably the more promotion for it the better and it really doesn’t matter who’s doing it.”

Flying Kiwi managing director Dennis Christian says his business has no plans to use rugby world cup in their marketing, but he was surprised to hear about the restrictions.

“I think anything we can do to further the message of ‘come to New Zealand’ the better, so it’s basically ‘hey, there’s this fantastic event happening here’ and we if can’t use it in the marketing it sounds bloody ridiculous to me.”

However he says overall he had been impressed with PM John Key’s support for tourism and felt that if the Prime Minister could do anything about the restrictions he would have.