Fireworks at this year's New Year's Eve party in the
Octagon. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
The sound and stage are the biggest costs of Dunedin's
annual New Year's Eve party, taking a whopping 45% of the
budget before any fireworks have even been set alight.
A breakdown of the costs of the $78,500 event in the Octagon,
which are mostly covered by the Dunedin City Council, shows
the stage, lighting, sound and PA system cost $35,000 in
total.
Fireworks come in as the next biggest cost at $10,000
followed by the acts ($6000), traffic management ($5500) and
fencing ($3000).
After last year's party, city councillor Neil Collins - who
watched from nearby Radio Otago House - labelled the
fireworks show a ''pathetic'' and ''embarrassing'' fizzer.
''It was like someone had decided to go down to the $3 shop
and bought a party pack [of fireworks].''
At the time, he said he would push for a bigger budget for
the event in next year's annual plan.
He said this week there was no interest in the matter from
other councillors, likely because of the present financial
climate, and so he had not argued the point.
It was a shame that some of the money spent on other parts of
the evening could not instead be channelled into the
fireworks, he said.
''I suppose I'm old-fashioned, but I think people still go to
the Octagon to see the fireworks. There's no-one there around
11pm and by 11.30pm it's packed.''
The fireworks at the recent Chinese New Year celebrations
showed how it should be done, he said.
Council events and community development manager Rebecca
Williams said it was proposed to keep the council's budget
for the 2013 New Year's Eve party the same.
Feedback about the event was overwhelmingly supportive, and
the council would not look at changing that structure unless
there was a groundswell of feeling for change, she said.
Counting the cost
The main costs associated with New Year's Eve event in
Octagon.
Stage/lighting ... $20,000
Sound/PA ... $15,000
Fireworks ... $10,000
Three bands ... $6000
Road closure (Traffic Management and Control Ltd) ...
$5500
Fencing around stage and work site ... $3000
Security ... $2500
Total cost: $78,500
Who pays:
$70,000 from the DCC, $6000 from Lion Foundation, $2500 from
the Otago Community Trust.
- debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz
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