The growth and success of Crankworx Rotorua is boosting commercial sponsorship, but organisers say public investment must keep up.
For the first time this year, public investment in the Rotorua event will be less than commercial investment from businesses.
Rotorua has a contract to host part of the Crankworx World Tour every year through to 2027, alongside other top mountain biking destinations around the world.
This year's event starts a week from today, on March 19.
Since 2015, non-commercial investment in Crankworx Rotorua, from local government, central government and trusts such as the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust, has reduced.
From event director Ariki Tibble's perspective, it is "absolutely critical" that this trend is reversed.
He told the Rotorua Daily Post, "Events like this can't exist without public investment."
Crankworx Rotorua is not for profit and only employs one full-time staff member year-round, and another for the six months leading up to the event.
The rest of the organising team are volunteers from the Rotorua area.
Tibble said overseas events similar to Crankworx Rotorua did not rely on the goodwill of volunteers and private sponsorship to the same extent.
Read more:
• Local Focus: Rotorua reaps Crankworx benefits of more than $18 million
Tibble told the Rotorua Lakes Council's Operations and Monitoring Committee last week, "Our job as the Crankworx team is to hold the torch up to the world, to get their attention and say this a place worth taking notice of."
It appears to be working, with the international viewership of the event increasing from 4.6 million people in 2015 to 12.4m last year.
Crankworx visitors stay for an average of 7.4 nights in Rotorua, and it's estimated the event pumped $4.21m in to the Rotorua economy last year alone.
Last year, the event won the Social Licence Business Award at the Rotorua Business Excellence Awards. This year it is finalist in the Best Sports Event and Best International Event categories at the New Zealand Events Association Awards being held this month.
Tibble said public funding needed to lift to ensure the economy and community continued to benefit from the event.
"When you've got something like this and you're ahead of the game and things are going really well, you don't take your foot off the gas."
Deputy mayor Dave Donaldson, who is also on the board of MTB Events Ltd, that holds the licence for Crankworx, said a lot of the people who came to Rotorua for the event went on to other destinations in New Zealand.
He told the committee last week: "You will see there at [Crankworx] people from all walks of international commerce.
"We [the board] are working on reviewing all of the public investment, and we're trying to have the right people there."
Yesterday, mayor Steve Chadwick said, "Crankworx puts a world lens on Rotorua.
"We do, of course, want it to succeed but any decisions about further investment by Rotorua Lakes Council would need to consider both the benefits and the financial implications for council. I'll share my view at the appropriate time in any future discussions we have as a whole council."
Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust manager Tony Gill said it was great Crankworx had been successful in securing commercial funding to the level it had.
"The event brings so much to Rotorua on so many levels.
"Our trust committed to fund the first three years of the event in Rotorua (a total of $250,000) in order to give Crankworx organisers certainty during this establishment period. This year, Crankworx organisers didn't submit an application for funding given the understanding we had with them."
The Rotorua Lakes Council's strategic business unit, Destination Rotorua, delivers and staffs the Crankworx media centre, hosting up to 150 international and domestic media for at least 12 hours a day over five days.
Chief executive Michelle Templer said this contribution was valued at $20,000 to $30,000.
"With 40 hard-wired internet connections, and food and beverages available all day, this is a comfortable space for media to work from and helps to provide the manaakitanga that Rotorua is so well known for."
She said Destination Rotorua would continue to support the event and invest in opportunities to promote it throughout the year.
The details
What: Crankworx 2019
When: March 19 to 24
Where: Skyline, Redwoods, and more.
Cost: Varies from free to free for locals to $75 for an adult's five-day pass and $35 for a child's five-day pass. Tickets are available at www.crankworx.com or on the day.
Just how many test centuries could Kane Williamson finish on?