How to celebrate the Rugby League World Cup without being a dick

With Tonga and Samoa heading into the semifinals, South Auckland's streets are set to come alive again. Here's how to support your team without ruining everyone else's night.

New Zealanders love a parade. Santa parades, Pride parades, even military parades. But over the past decade, a different kind of parade has become a fixture, at least in Auckland. Since at least the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, Pacific rugby league fans have been taking to the streets to celebrate their teams in spectacular fashion.

With more than half of Auckland's Pacific population living in South Auckland, places like Māngere and Ōtāhuhu have become hotspots for these celebrations. Fans flood the streets, adorn their vehicles with flags, blast music and dance into the early hours of the morning. The displays of cultural pride are a spectacle in their own right, but poor behaviour, excessive noise and gridlocked traffic have also attracted criticism from residents and parade-goers alike.

The celebrations have returned in force for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup. Last weekend, Tonga defeated Samoa 20-18 in one of the tournament's most anticipated matches, prompting thousands of fans to descend on South Auckland's streets. In Ōtāhuhu, supporters celebrated with music and dancing, but the night was soured by disorder and nine arrests. Police stressed that the overwhelming majority of fans celebrated peacefully.

Now, with Tonga and Samoa both through to the semifinals, the stakes are getting higher and the celebrations are only likely to grow. So, ahead of another two huge weekends, we've put together a definitive guide to supporting your team without being a hōhā to everyone else.

Keep your limbs inside the vehicle at all times

We've all seen the videos of people hanging out of car windows, sitting on bonnets and dancing in the trays of moving utes. It might make for a great Instagram story, but it can also end in disaster. If you're driving, make sure everyone is seated properly. If you're a passenger, remember that you're not actually part of the halftime entertainment. Wave your flags, sing your songs and represent your country with pride – just keep your bum inside the car.

Don't drink and drive, obviously

A few celebratory Vailimas are one thing, but getting behind the wheel afterwards is another. If you're planning on getting on it, organise a sober driver, get a ride home or leave the car behind altogether. And if your friend who's been drinking all afternoon offers to drive, don't let them. No rugby league victory is worth losing your licence, your life or someone else's.

Your flag shouldn't be a traffic hazard

There's something pretty special about seeing the streets painted red, blue and white as Pacific fans proudly fly their flags. But there's a difference between displaying your colours and turning your vehicle into a moving hazard. Secure your flags properly, make sure they don't obstruct your view or anyone else's, and don't cover your lights. The goal is to represent your country, not recreate the entire collection of the United Nations' flagpoles outside your driver's window.

Leave the rivalry on the field

Tonga and Samoa have one of the fiercest rivalries in international rugby league, but that doesn't mean their supporters need to carry it into the streets. A bit of friendly banter is part of the fun. Abusing opposing fans, damaging their flags or deliberately provoking them isn't. Remember, you're probably related to half the people you're arguing with anyway. You can love your country without hating someone else's.

Humility goes a long way

Samoa achieved its largest ever score and margin of victory in an international rugby league match against France in the first round of this year’s Rugby League World Cup, drubbing les Tricolores 78-4. Samoan fans were rightly proud of their team’s historic victory, but one passionate fan in Henderson, West Auckland, caught attention after driving around in a ute with what appeared to be a coffin draped with the French flag on its tray. It’s good to be proud of your team, but it’s important to remain respectful while doing so.

Save your punches for the heavy bag

Emotions can get the better of us when it comes to our favourite sports teams, but there's never an excuse to resort to violence. Last weekend's celebrations in South Auckland resulted in nine arrests for disorder-related offending. And we've seen how devastating things can become when celebrations turn violent. In November 2022, 26-year-old father and rugby league player Taeao Ola was fatally stabbed during a gathering in east Auckland celebrating Samoa's World Cup success. His family lost a son, a partner and a father. No sporting result is worth that. If losing a rugby league match makes you want to punch someone, perhaps you need to reconsider how seriously you're taking the game.

Pick an appropriate place to show your support

Some fans have been criticised for making excessive noise late into the night. Places like Māngere and Ōtāhuhu, where celebrations often centre, are also residential neighbourhoods, home to elderly people, young families and shift workers. The Māngere Birthing Centre has previously complained about the noise from siren battles taking place in nearby carparks. Imagine trying to give birth while someone's blasting music through a wall of speakers outside. If you want to turn up the volume, find an appropriate venue or organised gathering where you won't be disturbing the entire neighbourhood. Just because a carpark is empty, doesn't mean nobody nearby can hear you.

Go hard, but then go home

There have been calls for street celebrations to wrap up by 10pm. Turn up, turn out, have your fun and then go home at a decent hour. There's no reason to be hanging around an empty carpark at 3am, blasting sirens while everyone else is trying to sleep. If you want to keep the party going, head somewhere that's actually equipped for it, or take the celebrations back to your bro's garage.

Be considerate

Look, I'm glad your team won, but if I've just finished a 12-hour shift, I probably don't appreciate your dance routine in front of my car while I'm trying to get home as much as you think I might. Remember, not everyone is celebrating, and some people have places they genuinely need to be. Don't block roads, intersections or footpaths. Don't take up carparks that customers or residents might need. Make sure emergency vehicles can get through, pick up your rubbish and leave the place as you found it. A little consideration goes a long way.

Don't ruin it for the next generation

For many Pacific children growing up in Aotearoa, these celebrations are about far more than rugby league. They're an opportunity to see their culture, heritage and identity celebrated publicly, alongside thousands of others who share their pride. There's something powerful about seeing entire streets transformed into a sea of flags, music and dancing, with families coming together to celebrate where they come from.

Bring the kids along while it's safe, look after them in busy crowds and remember they're watching how the adults behave. Every fight, blocked road or sleepless night gives frustrated residents another reason to call for the celebrations to stop.

These parades have become a special part of Pacific sporting culture in Aotearoa. Let's make sure the next generation grows up remembering the flags, music, dancing and joy – not the fights, flashing police lights and ambulances. Celebrate your team and culture, just don't ruin it for everyone else.