City chips in $300,000 for rowing
by Mary Anne Gill on 12 May 2006
Much of the Hamilton City Council sponsorship will be spent on branding and hospitality at the venue. Richard Gladwell
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Hamilton is to spend $300,000 on sponsoring the world rowing championship at Lake Karapiro but the money comes with conditions, says Mayor Michael Redman.
The opening ceremony and a conference and delegates' dinner will be held in Hamilton. Claudelands Events Centre will be the city headquarters for the 2010 champs and Hamilton will be the official host city.
Athletes and rowing officials would stay in Hamilton while the champs were on.
A third of the money is to be used on a free bus service for athletes and officials travelling daily between Hamilton and Lake Karapiro.
The council will market the event as a ‘once in a lifetime experience’.
Rowing New Zealand has agreed to the terms.
City councillors voted to make the contribution at a special meeting yesterday.
Mr Redman said it was ironic the council had approved the sponsorship the same week it announced from July 1 it would cut its annual funding of $230,000 to Tourism Waikato.
‘It probably highlights the exact contradiction we were talking about,’ he said.
The council was still contributing to regional tourism but in a targeted way that would benefit the city, he said.
‘It's a prestigious event for New Zealand.
‘Clearly we wanted to support it.’
Rowing New Zealand executive director Craig Ross today said the money was exactly what they were after. Waipa District Council had also pledged $300,000 to pay for grandstands which was in addition to the $5 million the council is to spend at Karapiro Domain. ‘Part of the (city) council's contribution is advertising and marketing. The branding is really going to be important for us,’ he said.
The Government also pledged $1.5 million. Mr Ross said Rowing New Zealand was still $500,000 short of what was needed and he hoped the Government would chip in with that.
He leaves for Munich next week to present the bid to Fisa (international rowing federation). The DVD presentation features Prime Minister Helen Clark. Her involvement with the New Zealand Rugby Union's bid for the world rugby champs was seen as critical to the NZRU's successful bid.
The breakdown of Hamilton city's $300,000 is:
- $100,000 on bus transport.
- $50,000 for bus branding of Hamilton and World Rowing.
- $50,000 on the opening ceremony.
- $50,000 on pole banners, billboards and big screen.
- $50,000 for advertising and marketing.
Source http://www.stuff.co.nz
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