The wine and food festival is on again, but whether one of Oamaru's biggest events will get Waitaki District Council support is uncertain.
After this year's festival in February, the committee of volunteers resigned en masse, unhappy with some of the regulations it was facing. A new committee has been formed, asking the council to underwrite the event by up to $10,000, in case of rain.
A majority at the council's committee of the whole meeting yesterday supported recommending the underwriting to the November 15 meeting, subject to being provided an approved detailed budget. That leaves an out for the council if more councillors vote against the underwriting.
Festival committee chairman Mark Julius said the festival had been run for 14 years, recently becoming more of a music festival and more expensive to run. The risk of the festival being "washed" was was borne by volunteers, although that had never happened.
Peak attendance was 3500 last year when Gin Wigmore performed.
Next year the festival would revert to its origins, with a focus on wine and food and local performers and a reduced ticket price. It had budgeted for 2000 people to attend; $32,500 in sales.
The committee had a reserve of about $15,000 and would also get income from stallholders and sponsorship. Mr Julius said the festival was not asking for a grant, but a guarantee if it was rained out.
Insurance could be obtained, but the cost was prohibitive: $20,000 to cover $60,000 costs.
Cr Gus Young was worried that would mean the council was gambling on ratepayers' money. Crs Helen Stead and Kevin Malcolm wanted a more detailed budget.
But Cr Peter Garvan said the event had been run for 14 years with very little council input and the risk being taken by volunteers, and urged councillors to support it.
