KEY POINTS:
Waitakere ratepayers may fork out up to $300,000 to save the city's Trash to Fashion event from the scrap heap.
Cancellation of the city's flagship event this year has loomed because it has lost money in the last three of its 11 years.
Last November's show made a loss of $38,573 after costs came to $273,672.
But the council's city development committee yesterday agreed to a rescue package for the show, which features garments made from recycled materials.
The committee decided, as a one-off move, to underwrite additional funding of $190,000 to ensure the show could go ahead this year, awaiting a turnaround of fortune.
The council already has a budget for the event of $150,000 of which $105,000 is from council with the rest expected to come from sponsorship and tickets.
Culture, arts and events chairwoman Judy Lawley said the extra funding has been underwritten rather than granted.
"The events company hired to stage the show is expected to find as much of the extra money through sponsorship as possible," she said.
The extra budget this year bought time to give the show a more commercial structure and do some realistic marketing.
Mrs Lawley said the show had an international reputation.
"It's become a Waitakere icon ... well supported in schools, and there would be thousands of disappointed people if we canned it."
The event helped to educate young people about the zero-waste-to-landfill message as well as providing a popular show which, she said, could rival events like the World of Wearable Art that began in Nelson and is now stagedin Wellington.
Council arts manager Naomi McLeary said cancelling this year's show risked losing ownership of the brand - "Hamilton has a growing Trash to Fashion event".
She said funding had been an ongoing issue - including stadium hire. Audience growth had not kept pace.
Despite the council and the licensing trusts putting money in, there was not enough of it to carry the scale of the event and to adequately market it.
She pointed out the trusts had resolved not to repeat a grant of $65,000 this year.
In a report to the council, Dazzle Events says it is confident a new operating structure and a proper marketing budget will save the show from ratepayers' outrage.
Dazzle Events predicts the show's ticket and programme sales could double this year from $38,000 to $75,000 and sponsorship rise from $39,000 to $80,000.
That left a shortfall of $190,000 - the amount to which the council is now exposed through yesterday's decision.
The council is considering an average rates increase of 6.69 per cent for the coming year - an extra $106 for an average value house and a total of $1687.
