At tomorrow’s meeting, the Dunedin City Council is expected to formally adopt a plan aiming to support the city’s events and festivals sector.
In her report to council, Dunedin destination manager Sian Sutton also recommended the approved budget for a "planned major event" be altered following a date change.
Instead of budgeting for the "previously discussed" event in 2026 and 2028, the budget should be adjusted to 2027 and 2029, the report said.
"Event details remain confidential."
Yesterday, the council declined to answer the Otago Daily Times’ questions on the nature of the event, the council’s approved budget or the report’s indication the event was being held once in 2027 and then again in 2029.
"We’re not able to comment on the specifics as the event remains commercially sensitive," a spokesman said.
Ms Sutton’s report also recommended the council formally adopt the Dunedin Festivals and Events Plan 2025 and associated implementation plans which aimed to boost Dunedin’s profile as "event-ready" with a city wide, collaborative approach.
The council last month approved $4.4 million to support the implementation plans over the next four years, as part of the long-term plan.
Dunedin Venues chief executive Paul Doorn said the plan would complement his organisation’s work to build a "great calendar of events" year-round.
"We know when there are peak major events from the stadium’s perspective, or we’d like to know those in advance, and then it’s about building activations and other events around that to make it even more vibrant," he said.
"The sorts of things that the city focuses on are slightly different to the things that we focus on, but they certainly complement each other."
"It’s really important that we work hand in glove, which we do, to build up a really strong programme of events."
The implementation plans detail dozens of priority actions to deliver its goals, including a new event to align with the total solar eclipse passing directly over Dunedin in July 2028.
