Fairfax NZ

SHE SAID YES: Kasteal Matthews, William Hawea and their son Preiz, 4.

When William Hawea rang his bride-to-be in Gisborne to make sure she had seen his television proposal from Auckland's NRL nines she could barely get out her answer.

The 34-year-old said he had been thinking of proposing to his girlfriend of more than six years, Kasteal Matthews, for the past couple of months and the details fell into place after staff passed out signs at yesterday's rugby league competition.

Hawea sat alone in the crowd yesterday and held the sign that read: "Kasteal Matthews - Will you please marry me", in the hope she would see his proposal.

Hawea travelled to Auckland for the league competition but Matthews, who is pregnant with the couple's second child, had to stay at home in Gisborne.

The forestry worker had given his now-fiancé strict instructions to watch and record every minute of the NRL nines coverage on television.

After about three hours of Hawea holding up the sign with a pounding heart he received a message from Matthews to call her "asap".

"She had actually lost her voice because she'd been screaming so much."

Matthews managed to say "yes" to the proposal over the phone, along with an "OMG", he said.

"She was shocked and a little bit embarrassed but at the same time she was over-the-moon."

Hawea said he was nervous and a bit embarrassed by all the attention he was drawing from the crowd at the competition.

However, everyone around him was trying to help out and the couple had received a stream of congratulations since yesterday's public proposal, he said.

The couple, who had a four-year-old son Preiz and were expecting their second child in May, had previously spoken about getting married, he said.

"I thought it was our time."

Hawea, who was back the nines today, said it was hard to be away from Matthews but they would be reunited in Gisborne tomorrow and would be able to start making plans for the big day.

"We always do everything together."

 - Stuff