Betty-Anne Monga from Ardijah at the Rotorua Lakeside 25 concert. Photo / File
The pin has been pulled, for this year at least, on Rotorua’s annual Lakeside concert, as organisers struggle with funding.
This summer would have marked the 28th annual concert featuring classical and contemporary stars.
Rotorua Lakeside Concert Charitable Trust trustee David Jones said it cost about $450,000 to put on the free outdoor extravaganza, complete with a fireworks display at the end.
He said organisers relied heavily on grants from funding bodies that were under pressure, including social services and other areas feeling the crunch during the financial crisis.
The decision to cancel Lakeside 2026 was made last year, and a meeting will be held next week to determine if it could resume biennially, which Jones said was the goal.
He said one option was to run it alongside a local Te Matatini performance featuring Te Arawa acts, which could help cover the event’s main cost – the staging.
He said this had been done previously and worked well, providing Rotorua as a central place to visit over a weekend to experience all aspects of the arts.
He said other expenses for Lakeside included lighting and sound, and attracting big-name drawcards.
While the trust that ran Lakeside was made up of volunteers, the artistic director, who spent all year planning and designing the show, needed to be paid, Jones said.
He said that, understandably, funders faced a heavier demand than they had previously.
“Lakeside has been prioritised out ... They are inundated with requests, so funding a concert is not a priority.”
He said the trust also faced difficulty because many of the funders required funding allocations to be spent within three months.
“It makes it very, very difficult to plan ahead.”
Jones said Lakeside had so much heart and history, the trustees would work hard to find solutions.
He said it provided an important platform for new talent and was an important event on the arts calendar.
“We are not going to let it go. We just have to cut our cloth.”
Rotorua Mayor and trustee Tania Tapsell said Rotorua’s Lakeside concert had been a major highlight for many locals and visitors and a great opportunity to showcase local, national and international talent on the big stage.
“It takes a significant amount of effort to organise this, and what isn’t well known is that it’s through a charitable trust of passionate locals who volunteer their time all year in the lead up to delivering one of our most iconic and loved annual local concerts.”
Tapsell said the big challenge was that during financially challenging times, more organisations were seeking grants, and at times, there was less funding available to give out.
“Rotorua deserves a great event and spreading it out over two years, as an example, is a great way to ensure Lakeside can be delivered to the standard locals expect and enjoy.”
She said the community and visitors would want another show as soon as possible, and they couldn’t wait to do this in the near future.
Rotorua Trust chief executive Blair Gilbert said the trust had been an original and long-standing funder of the concert, giving $100,000 to the last event.
He said all applications were treated on a case-by-case basis, but he was unable to comment on Lakeside’s funding because Rotorua Trust did not receive an application from Lakeside.
He said some funders required the money to be spent within three months, but Rotorua Trust was “reasonably flexible” and allowed it to be spent over a longer period, such as 12 months or longer if required.
Organisations were only allowed to apply once a year, Gilbert said, and he encouraged anyone wanting to make an application to speak with them early so decisions could be made in advance whether funding would be available.
The idea for Lakeside came about through local former pharmacist Ian Edward’s involvement with the annual Lockwood Aria, a prestigious singing competition.
It struck Edward that through relationships formed with the country’s top performers at the aria, they could create an outdoor concert that was based on the types of occasions he experienced as a youngster going to the Soundshell.
It provided locals with an opportunity to hear top-quality national and international acts free of charge – something out of reach for many residents.
The formation of Lakeside started, and Rotorua Trust gave half of the $200,000 funding needed.
The March 1997 concert was billed as “Rotorua’s biggest-ever free outdoor concert”.
The show featured the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, the winners of the Lockwood Aria, Sir Howard Morrison, Patricia Payne, Tim Beveridge and Ngāti Rangiwewehi.
It rained during that first concert, but it was deemed a success and has been held almost every year since.
Only twice has it deviated from being held at the Rotorua Village Green.
In 2017, it rained, and the event was held at the Energy Events Centre. In 2000, a Millennium special was held at the Rotorua International Stadium featuring Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Sir Howard Morrison, called A Knight With A Dame.
The concerts could not proceed in 2021 due to Covid-19 lockdowns and in 2022 due to funding shortfalls as a result of the pandemic.
Over the years, it has consistently featured classical, contemporary and Māori music and has hosted great names such as Sir Howard Morrison, Frankie Stevens, John Rowles, Eddie Lowe, The Koi Boys, Stan Walker, Annie Crummer, Jason Kerrison, Mark Williams, Sons of Zion, Russell Harrison, Howard Morrison Junior, Jackie Clarke and The Lady Killers.
Local performers have also graced the stage over the years, including Nikau Grace, Lizzie Marvelly, Krissie Knap, Elisha Hulton, Hohaia Macfarlane and Rewa Ututaonga.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.