The wait goes on for an act to be scheduled at Forsyth Barr Stadium, but the Tourism Minister says work is still going on and the South has benefited from government event funding. Former Dunedin Venues Management (DVML) chief executive Paul Doorn previously told the Otago Daily Times he was confident of big acts coming to the stadium but was leaving announcements to the government. Mr Doorn left at the end of May for a new job in Hong Kong and nothing has eventuated in the way of announcements, despite him indicating it may happen in the middle of the year. When contacted on Thursday, Tourism Minister Louise Upston’s office said officials at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the New Zealand Major Events team were working closely with the Dunedin City Council on major event opportunities for Dunedin which consider a wide range of event venues, including Forsyth Barr Stadium. The government had been investing and supporting a wide variety of events and attractions across the South, adding vibrancy to the region’s towns and cities. “That’s resulted in a wide mix of new events along with new elements for existing events, all designed to attract more participants, including both domestic and international visitors. “As well as the mix of events, we’ve also taken into consideration regional and seasonal spread to maximise the impact. So, as well as events specific to Dunedin and Otago, we want activity in places like Queenstown and Wānaka to have flow-on effects regionally. “Ultimately, these events won’t just entertain visitors — they drive economic growth. Accommodation fills up, restaurants thrive, and tills ring in local shops. “Overall, tourism growth has been particularly encouraging over the past 12 months and I look forward to that continuing across the South.” New DVML chief executive Phil King, who starts in September, is still working in Australia. “But I will say this — the team at the venue, I know they’re doing a fantastic job in terms of event procurement,” he said. “These things — you don’t go and just have a conversation, and then a week later they materialise. There is a process that you have to go through and I will say that DVML have done well from what I can see, and that is part of the reason why I took the job. “There is definitely a genuine pipeline of events that’s sitting there. So, it’s just a matter now of those just firming up.” Once he arrived he would be “all over it”, but he wanted to remain focused on his current job before he and his family move to Dunedin. Mr King was seeing out his job as Ticketek Australia managing director. Details provided by Ms Upston’s office showed eight events in Otago had attracted major events funding, with the Snow League event gaining money from the Events Attraction Package. Amounts of funding were not given for the major events funding. In the regional events promotion fund in stage one, Central Otago District Council received more than $115,000 for 11 events, Lake Wānaka Tourism $79,000 for three events while iD Dunedin Fashion Week received $30,000. In the second round of the regional events promotion fund, Tourism Central Otago received just over $22,000 for two events. Clutha Development had received $10,000 for The Magnificent Adventure Race while Enterprise Dunedin received more than $100,000 for five events, including $40,000 for the NZ Masters Games. Lake Wānaka Tourism also received more than $100,000 for five events including $50,000 for Warbirds Over Wānaka. steve.hepburn@odt.co.nz
