Rotary blames loss of sponsorship for end of Ellerslie Flower Show

By ANNE BESTON

This year's Ellerslie Flower Show has been cancelled and the event put up for sale.

Yesterday's announcement came after the show's organisers denied last month that anything was wrong, even though they had approached the Auckland Regional Council over rent for the Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens site at Manurewa.

Show chief executive Cath Handley told the Herald at the time the show was a "very healthy organisation" and she was "delighted to be in the position we are".

Yesterday long-time gardening show host Maggie Barry called the cancellation of the 10th anniversary year show a tragedy.

"I am saddened and disappointed that Auckland Rotary couldn't weather the storm," she said.

The Rotary Club of Auckland organises Ellerslie Flower Show as a not-for-profit event and distributes a percentage of the proceeds to charity.

Chairman David McGregor said the loss of TVNZ as a sponsor was a big reason for the cancellation.

But Maggie Barry said while TVNZ's sponsorship priorities had obviously changed, she had had discussions with the company about broadcasting from the show this year.

She said TVNZ had been a "staunch and loyal" supporter and hopefully another organisation would come up with a sponsorship package that meant it could go ahead in 2005.

TVNZ marketing director Annemarie Duff said a review of the state broadcaster's sponsorships meant the show "did not meet our new criteria".

The company was reducing corporate hospitality and had limited airtime available for sponsorship. It also wanted to be involved with national sponsorships "rather than regional ones".

"TVNZ wishes the Rotary Club of Auckland all the best in finding a new and more suitable sponsor," she said.

Gardeners and nurserymen spoken to by the Herald speculated about whether the show had done its dash.

Terry Hatch, owner of Joy Plants at Ramarama, who has exhibited plants for about 50 years and had a stall at Ellerslie Flower Show for most of the last nine, said gardening and horticultural shows were not attracting the crowds they once did.

"It's probably time for a revamp and perhaps hold [Ellerslie Flower Show] once every two years rather than every year," he said.

Exhibitors had not paid any money for sites for this year.