HOY says it needs funds for growth

Hastings ratepayers are being asked to contribute $15,000 more to run next year's Horse of the Year Show, one of the region's premier events which attracted a record 70,000 people when it was held in March.

Hastings District Council, which is one third owner of the event, contributed $30,000 to the show. Horse of the Year Hawke's Bay company had handed in a submission to the council's annual plan asking for the increase in sponsorship.

Recent research suggested the event generated $12.5 million to the region's GDP every year.

Show director Kevin Hansen said the company was currently working on an updated report on the economic impact of the show's value to the region's GDP, which would be completed in 2014.

"It is quite costly and we can't afford to do that kind of report every year, so we do it once every three or four years.

"But certainly I can say this year was the biggest show we had put on so far."

Data from the 2013 event, held at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds in Hastings, showed 52 per cent of the participants were aged between 25 and 49, 65 per cent were females and 76 per cent of attendees came from outside of Hawke's Bay.

"We want to keep growing the event and we have significant plans for 2014 already.

"But it is very hard financially to run and keep control of. It takes a lot of sponsorship to keep it going."

Mr Hansen said it needed more sponsorship from the council for it to grow.

"We believe it is one of Hawke's Bay's premier events, if not the premier event, it certainly is a huge sporting event that Hastings and Hawke's Bay does very well out of and we believe the council has to look at putting a bit more into it," he added.

Horse of the Year Hawke's Bay company's submission is one of about 70 sent it to the council's annual plan.

The council will hold a hearing on Thursday to review and discuss each submission before making a decision on which ones to support.

The outcome will help to determine what the final rates increase will be for the 2014/15 year.