The Hastings District Council is being asked to increase its support of this year's Hawke's Bay Arts Festival, with plans for even more artistic, musical and cultural events than the previous two years.
In a report to the council's social and cultural development committee, which meets today, community grants and projects advisor Vicki Berkhan said that the event had grown since its inception in 2015, and had become a well-known, well-attended positive experience for the Hastings district.
Despite incurring a $22,000 loss last year, due to increased costs from an expanded programme of performances and venues, Arts Inc. Heretaunga believed the festival had become a major asset for the district, and would be a significant contributor to the Hawke's Bay Opera Houses's programme of events once the main auditorium re-opened in late 2018, she said.
For the last two years, the Hastings District Council supported the festival with an $85,000 grant from the Hawke's Bay Opera House reserve, and an up to $50,000 cash underwrite to cover any loss, payable upon receiving a post-event Key Performance Indicator report.
In 2015, the festival made a profit, resulting in just over $15,000 being returned to the Hastings District Council.