Drivers do battle at this year's soapbox derby on Drews Avenue. Photo / Bevan Conley
Drivers do battle at this year's soapbox derby on Drews Avenue. Photo / Bevan Conley
This year’s Whanganui Vintage Weekend events generated $4.9 million, the most since its inception in 2012.
Vintage Weekend Trust chair Bruce Jellyman said an estimated 29,000 people attended events across the weekend - 5000 of whom were from out of town.
“There was a noticeable uptick in visitors from Auckland and internationals, which I’m really happy about,” he said.
“Really solid growth has continued in [visitors from] the lower North Island. Some of that is driven by the caravan clubs coming here and that’s how we get around some accommodation issues.
“Big ups to Whanganui people as well, for believing in the event and inviting friends and family here.”
Jellyman said along with the traditional events such as the Mainstreet Caboodle and Soapbox Derby, punters were looking for events outside the “core part of town” such as this year’s Wanganui Aero Club open day at the airport.
“I guess that is key to us developing the product.”
The $4.9m figure is drawn from credit and debit card sales and doesn’t include cash.
The entire spend throughout Whanganui over that weekend - January 19-22 - was $7.6m.
Whanganui District Council contributed $30,000 to the event, with Property Brokers being the other major sponsor.
“We are going to go out and fundraise hard for next time because the funding is always a bit edgy and a bit at risk. We had some great people save us this time around,” Jellyman said.
This year, Emmetts Civil Construction, Pacific Helmets, Tasman Leathers of New Zealand, Dempsey and Forrest, PKF Doyle and Associates, Horsley Christie, Crowley Waugh, Armstrong Barton, The Leedstown Trust and the Whanganui Community Foundation made up a shortfall of around $35,000.
Vintage Weekend organisers and sponsors during this year's event.
That was due to a lack of central government funding, which had been available before and during Covid-19.
“They saved our bacon and they contributed cash,” Jellyman said.
“Vintage Weekend is strong because of the community - it’s the community who puts in the stuff.”
This year’s budget was around $85,000 but “in real terms”, it was probably double that.
“Take Mainstreet, for example. They put on the Caboodle and we help that financially, but they also put in a lot of money and do all the street cleaning.
“There are costs associated with that, to their business.”
It was important Vintage Weekend didn’t lose what made it unique, Jellyman said.
“We would like to think of it as more as a nostalgia event than a vintage event - ‘I saw the same Ford Prefect I learned to drive in’, that’s nostalgia for you.
“You can’t just sit on it, though. If Whanganui people don’t keep coming back, we don’t get the vibe that everybody talks about - full streets downtown with everybody in a good mood.”
He said attracting a major musical act to town would take up a large amount of the budget.
Currently, music is provided by local artists.
“I could do that [have a big act] but I would have to put the main stage somewhere else where I could charge you.
“If we got a name in and added another 5000 people to the street, we’ve got a problem. We would have to be at Cooks [Gardens] or something.
“The existing situation benefits those downtown food and beverage businesses greatly.”
Jellyman said ticketed events would become increasingly important to keep the event going but organisers had to be careful not to “kill” the free, on-street entertainment.
“I’ve seen that happen before, they’ve thought ‘Hell, we’ll have to charge for everything now’ and suddenly it’s not a community event anymore.
“You quickly lose support.”
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
