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.
