ANZ helps festival to tune of $250,000

Auckland's budding international festival AK05 has announced a principal sponsor a week before the arrival of the event's Australian chief executive, David Malacari.

ANZ completed the sponsorship deal yesterday, understood to be worth more than $250,000, for the family festival which is to run from February 25 to March 13.

The money will help the construction of a large, elevated performance stage which will encompass the Aotea Square end of the Auckland Town Hall, and help to finance a roadshow of festival acts which will tour the Auckland region.

Retiring Auckland City Councillor and festival trustee Victoria Carter said negotiations were continuing with several other potential corporate sponsors.

She said the event was still finding its feet as a premier festival, but predicted next year's lineup would have a big wow factor.

The programme for AK05 is largely complete, but will not be announced until tickets go on sale on November 11.

Auckland Mayor John Banks said AK05 would be largely international, "including some names you will be awestruck that we have been able to negotiate commercial contracts with.

"There are acts coming that are bigger than we have ever seen in this country before."

Mr Malacari, from Adelaide, will take over the running of the festival when he arrives on Monday. He has worked as general manager of the Windmill Performing Arts children's theatre company, spent 12 years with the Adelaide Festival, and was production manager for three Womad world music festivals.

Mr Malacari takes over from Simon Prast, who directed the first Auckland festival, AK03, an event which met with critical approval but ran at a loss of about $300,000.

Ratepayers ended up covering about $1.5 million of the festival's $2.27 million bill.

The loss was blamed largely on a shortfall in sponsorship, unforeseen costs - including the replacement of 20 portable toilets which were destroyed by fire - and the impact of continual spring rain on crowds at outdoor events.

Mr Prast's position became redundant in July after a management review divided his role between a chief executive and an artistic director.