The yacht race aimed at taking Tauranga to the world appears to have struck a major funding hurdle: the Tauranga District Council seems reluctant to become a major player.
Despite the perceived benefits of December's race stopover, the council yesterday remained unconvinced that ratepayers should foot the bill.
Heated debate arose when
Around Alone project manager Mike Pattison launched a bid for funding.
The council voted to hear the submission behind closed doors after councillor Mary Dillon said that budget figures contained within the document were commercially sensitive.
But after an hour in committee, no decision was reached and the request was referred back to the events sub-committee for a final decision on Thursday.
Precise figures were unclear today, but last night councillor Murray Guy said that while the council applauded the event, event funding was limited.
"They're seeking a fairly sizeable chunk and the economic benefits are largely limited to the marine sector."
Initially, Around Alone was seeking about $80,000 from the council, but it now seems that the target is higher -- perhaps well into six figures.
The council has obviously found itself in a cash squeeze to accommodate the funding application. Its events bid fund subcommittee has been asked to somehow juggle funding applications from small, major and flagship events into a total budget of $200,000 -- and the Around Alone approach is a huge added burden.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
