Extra $3.9m needed to rebuild Akl status as major event city, says mayor

Auckland Mayor Len Brown. Photo / Natalie Slade

Mayor Len Brown is seeking a further $3.9 million for this year's budget to attract major events to Auckland.

The mayor yesterday released a draft major events strategy for Auckland, which calls for more money and effort to go into attracting big events capable of boosting economic activity for Auckland.

Mr Brown said the strategy was a critical part of his vision to improve Auckland as a visitor destination and improve the region's contribution to the nation's economy.

"We see the first part of that being delivered this year with the Rugby World Cup and we have got to continue to power on from that," he said.

Once the Rugby World Cup winds up, Auckland only has four major events - New Zealand Fashion Week, Auckland Marathon, International Boat Show and international men's and women's tennis tournaments - in the economic category.

And according to the Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development council-controlled organisation, these four events do not generate sufficient returns to be considered an economic success.

The city's two other major events, the Pasifika and Lantern festivals, are considered to be "social events" that do not have an economic benefit.

These events are given $354,000 and $105,000 of ratepayers' money respectively.

The ATEED report says two notable holes in Auckland's events programme in comparison with other cities are a gay and lesbian festival and a music festival.

The report said Auckland spent $6 million annually funding events, a third less than the $19.1 million spent in South Australia, which has a similar population; and far less than $71.6 million spent by the State of Victoria.

Wellington's spending of $6 million equalled that of Auckland.

ATEED has recommended increasing the budget by $3.9 million to $10 million this year and to $18 million next year.

The $3.9 million comes on top of $64 million in spending cuts that Mr Brown must find to peg a projected 9.2 per cent rates rise back to 4.9 per cent.

Mr Brown's support for the ATEED report and the extra funding will be debated at next Tuesday's finance and strategy meeting.

"I see this as much an investment in this city's future as I do in transport, our parks, environment and our community and at the heart of economic development," he said.

The strategy said Auckland's reputation as a major event city was tarnished in the early 2000s because of a thin calendar and the loss of some high profile events to other cities.

The most high-profile of these was the V8 Supercars event, which went to Hamilton.

ATEED is proposing to "immediately redesign its major events portfolio" by pursuing mega-events, "slowing growth" in mid-size events and passing on small events to the Auckland Council and the local boards.

ATEED events manager Rachael Dacy was cagey about how the $3.9 million of extra funding would be spent, except it would go on a mix of new and existing events.