Co-ordinators Emily Te Aho and Martha Baxendell have budgeted about $10,500 for the New Brighton Seaside Christmas Parade on December 9.
More than $8000 of that will go towards traffic management costs, Te Aho said.
The parade received a $7000 grant from the Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board but another $2500 is still needed to put the event on.
Te Aho said traffic management is an “important part of the parade” but was also where most of the money goes.
The project must pay a contractor to manage the road closures on parade day and has applied to the city council to make the temporary closures.
The New Brighton Project now has to notify the affected residents about the planned road closures.
Te Aho and Baxendell have managed the rising costs by keeping other expenses down but the parade is now facing its “biggest shortfall”.
The not-for-profit organisation is hoping the community will step in to help cover the remaining costs.
Baxendell says the problem lies with the funding model for the parade. The cost of putting it on has gone up but the funding has stayed the same.
Baxendell said each year the project applies for different city council grants because there is no funding set aside for the parade.
“There’s only so much money council has in its funding pool.”
Mary McCammon, who helped organise the parade for 11 years until 2011, remembers when it cost $100 to sort out the traffic management.
People turned out in force to the event last December, with about 15,000 lining the streets to see Santa and the other 41 entrants.
The New Brighton Project is reaching out to groups and businesses to give them an opportunity to get involved in the event.
By Polly Nichols
