Editorial: Running of event hard to better

Kevin Hansen

On the face of it, the move to put the management contract of the Horse of the Year up for tender from next year appears to be rather strange.

Kevin Hansen has run the event for many years and has grown it tremendously. Some would say that he is Mr Horse of the Year and that it is he and his son Andrew's contacts that make it such a success.

So, it was a bit of a surprise when Horse of the Year Hawke's Bay board chairwoman Cynthia Bowers made the announcement. She said the board had advertised for expressions of interest from event management companies to "deliver all or part of the show from next year". Mr Hansen is free to tender and has indicated he will, but don't be surprised if he doesn't get it.

The board reported a $108,000 annual loss last year, although the 2014 show was widely acclaimed a success. Ms Bowers, who is also the deputy mayor of Hastings, said the decision "in no way reflects on Kevin Hansen or his team at Event-Pro".

The nature of business is that change is necessary at times as this is the way companies and events renew and rejuvenate themselves.

However, this should only be done when you are sure that you can get better than what you have. In this case there is no certainty the board will get better than Mr Hansen. Ms Bowers was quoted yesterday as saying "I think competitors come to the Horse of the Year Show because of the calibre of the event, not because of loyalty to Kevin."

In time, Ms Bowers may come to realise that this statement was probably unnecessary.

After all, the pressure is now on her and her board to come up with someone better than Mr Hansen.