2023 World Cup opening ceremony provides stunning start to tournament with a mix of Māori and Australian Indigenous cultures front and centre at Auckland’s Eden Park

After a morning of tragedy, the Women’s World Cup went ahead with an opening ceremony built around a theme of unity.

A shooting in downtown Auckland earlier on Thursday, which left three dead, gave pause for thought on the appropriateness of festivities.

There was an uneasiness in a city flicking the switch from horror to revelry so quickly, with FIFA and the New Zealand government opting to go ahead.

Perhaps the alternative – to deny the performers and footballers their moment in the world’s gaze – was even less desirable than cancelling.

An estimated 40,000 fans were treated to an amazing performance featuring an Indigenous Australian rainbow serpent (left) and Māori whai, or stingray (right)

Māori and Aussie First Nations dancers and singers combined in fine style, with a haka backed by music from a didgeridoo at one point

And so on the show went, a brief but dazzling display rich with Maori and First Nations traditions and imagery, showcasing both New Zealand and Australian heritage and landscapes.

A giant whai, or stingray, and rainbow serpent covered the pitch, where a Maori call was followed by an Australian First Nations response.

A haka – what else, at the All Blacks’ house of pain, a koha – or offering – and the hongi – the treasured Maori greeting – represented the unity of the two Indigenous peoples.

Then came a ‘unity dance’ with performers clad in the colours of all 32 competing nations, which more closely resembled a primary school lunch break with kids scattered across the oval.

The 10-minute show then wrapped with pop stars Benee, of Auckland, and Brisbane’s Mallrat, who performed the official song: Do It Again. 

The ceremony was followed by a minute’s silence for the victims of the shooting that rocked Auckland early on Thursday morning, local time

The display that opened the tournament was built around the theme of unity

Performers dressed in the strips of all 32 nations competing at the World Cup featured heavily in the ceremony, which saw the pitch swathed in a protective covering

Kiwi star Benee (centre, in purple and black top) combined with Australian musician Mallrat to perform the official song of the Cup, Do It Again

It was exuberant but not overly extravagant, and appropriately followed by a minute’s silence, which will also be observed at Thursday night’s Australia-Ireland match in Sydney.

Auckland’s Fan Festival site, The Cloud, was in close proximity to the shooting, with officials opting to delay opening it until Friday.

Alongside the trans-Tasman ceremony, the night had a distinctly Kiwi flavour.

The estimated 40,000 in attendance were given a poi, a prop used in Maori performance, to be used in displays en masse in the stands.

On the poi was a QR code leading to an explanation of Maori traditions and the Poi Tukua movement, which ‘aims to cement poi as an international symbol of empowerment’ for women athletes.