More than $1.2 billion (£584 million) will be spent on investments backing the Rugby World Cup, with just $700 million (£341 million) projected to be generated by the tournament.

The survey included a number of projects which will be used after the competition, such as improvements to signs, and spending which is being funded through existing budgets independent of the World Cup.

The minority of the spending, some $150 million (£73 million) in hosting fees and a $12 million (£6 million) inflatable rugby ball advertising the tournament, is short term, but other upgrades to stadiums amounting to $555 million (£270 million) will have a longer term impact.

Taxpayers will provide $288 million (£140 million) of the funding, more than four times what the Treasury department estimated they would have to contribute when New Zealand was awarded the tournament in 2005.

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully defended the spending as well as stressing the long term benefits of the tournament.

"The important thing is to understand the scale of this thing from New Zealand's point of view," he said.

"It's way bigger than anything we've ever done before.

"We convince more tourists to come here, we convince more businesses to do business here with New Zealand companies and enter partnerships with them.

"So those legacy values are arguably the greatest, and that's why we're determined to do it properly.

"We'll get about $700 million (£341 million) or so of income as a country from people coming to visit, and we also will be investing in assets that will provide a return for many years."

University of Auckland economics professor Tim Hazledine projected a more dismal economic outlook though, when he questioned the estimate that $700 million (£341 million) would be generated through hosting the tournament.

He argued that the true benefits could only be calculated if you did not account for dollars which would have been spent in tourism anyway.

"In total, you can find about $150 million (£73 million) actual money-in-the-pocket benefits to New Zealand," Hazledine explained.

Martin Snedden, chief executive of Rugby New Zealand 2011, the tournament organiser, emphasised the non-economic benefits of hosting the competition.

"It's not easy to measure in hard dollar terms but you can understand, if you are aware of these events, the really extensive worldwide media coverage and television coverage it gets and just how much opportunity it has on the world stage - it goes to so many different countries," he said.

KiwiRail's estimated $1.1 billion (£536 million) investment in rail and ferries was not included in the survey because its benefits went far beyond this autumn's tournament.

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