No more smelling the flowers: Auckland's Ellerslie Flower Show looks almost certain to move cities. Photo / HOS
No more smelling the flowers: Auckland's Ellerslie Flower Show looks almost certain to move cities. Photo / HOS
KEY POINTS:
Organisers of the Ellerslie Flower Show have indicated it's almost definite the region will lose the event after the Auckland City Council's decision to bow out of a rescue package.
The finance committee rejected officers' advice to contribute $50,000 over each of the next three years for marketingand ancillary events to keep the show in Greater Auckland.
The council has also said it will not make a separate bid for the show to return to its original venue at Ellerslie Racecourse.
The flower show is the third project to be scrapped since John Banks was re-elected mayor.
The Manukau City Council, in whose area the show is staged, has contributed $90,000 and the Auckland Regional Council provides the current venue at the Botanic Gardens in Manurewa.
Flower show managing director David Mee said the council's announcement was disappointing.
"The decision ... has strengthened the case for the event to go outside of Auckland.
"Both Hamilton and Christchurch cities have been very proactive and innovative in their efforts to attract and host the event.
"We had hoped all of Auckland would get behind it but it's clear they're not. The decision has come after the restructuring of council so I wasn't overly surprised."
However, he said a firm decision had not yet been made but was expected early next week.
"It's a huge decision. If we getit right that's fantastic; if we don't it's a huge blow for us."
Mr Mee said he had spoken to organisers of the V8 Supercars event in Hamilton to see how the host performed.
Auckland City finance chairman Doug Armstrong said the council stood by its decision.
"We thought we took a responsible approach. We didn't think the show was in jeopardy.
"Our reasoning was that the ARC and Manukau were supporting it - it is in their city.
"We understood our contribution was for publicising the event in the Auckland area not directly for the event."
He said the council still strongly supported the event staying in Auckland.
The flower show started yesterday and is expected to attract up to 70,000 visitors. The five-day event has been held in Auckland since its inception in 1994 and generates about $14 million for Auckland's economy.
