EventsUpdate SEPTEMBER 2015 New Chair of NZAEP — See page 2
editorial@nzaep.co.nz — New Zealand Association of Event Professionals, c/o P O Box 3798, Auckland 1140 ISSN 1179-3678 — Subscription is a member exclusive benefit — contact info@nzaep.co.nz for details
Regional Seminar Series announced — See page 3
Events send nz’s profile rocketing — See page 9
FROM THE CEO
New Chair for the NZAEP Board
New Chair, Andy Scotland.
Having led the Board during a hugely successful period of rapid growth, Terri van Schooten has stepped down as Chair of the NZAEP after a three-year tenure. Taking her place is established Board member, Andy Scotland.
Andy has been with the Board since 2013 and provides considerable expertise in communications and governance. Andy comes from an impressive career directing large scale public events in both the private and public sectors. Recent roles include the production of the Hobbit World premiere events in Wellington, managing the festival plans for Rugby World Cup 2011 and the development of Wellington’s event strategy for 2013 and beyond. She managed the events unit for WCC and prior to this had 8 years working as GM Business Development for Wellington International Airport leading marketing, communications and airline development.
Past director for a private tourism company, Andy is currently a director for Flat Earth Solutions consultancy, iSite Media, NZAEP, Footnote Dance and Wellington high performance aquatics. Andy is hugely approachable and shares the passion for the industry that marks her predecessor and the rest of our Board. Regional Seminar Series – November In other news, we are pleased to announce a new Regional Seminar Series for November – a six centre tour focusing on Event Media, PR and Event Budgeting. Member feedback has strongly indicated that these are areas in which people are keen to upskill so
we have put together a panel of experts to provide advice as well as practical materials to apply to your business. Jo Blair, Brown Bread Ltd and Michelle Enright from FIFA U20 are the two main presenters and Devorah Blumberg from Major Events NZ will also be present to provide key updates. This is a half day event discounted for members touring Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Dunedin, Queenstown and Christchurch. Visit www.nzaep.co.nz/seminars Vicki Watson CEO, NZAEP ●
Official Suppliers Contact our official supplier for Insurance, Marsh, to receive details of your membership only offer:
clinton.stanger@marsh.com stuart.hartley@mmc.com Visit our website for all details on all our supplier members for AV/Technical, Business/Insurance/Legal, Entertainment, Equipment Hire, Security, Signage/Marketing, Staging/Stands/Setup
nzaep.co.nz/suppliers Front Cover Photo Credit – Getty Images Caption: Janina Kuzma, NZ Athlete in form at the Audi Quattro Wintergames. Events Update, September 2015
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Regional Seminar Series Auckland: Tuesday, 3 November, 9.00am – 1.00pm Rotorua: Wednesday, 4 November, 9.00am – 1.00pm Wellington: Thursday, 5 November, 9.00am – 1.00pm Christchurch: Friday, 6 November, 9.00am – 1.00pm
Successful Events through Media Engagement and Effective Financial Management Jo Blair, Director of Brown Bread, specialises in developing revenue models. She’ll talk you through her process of getting events ‘engagement-ready’. Then, and only then, can an event prepare to find funding partners. Jo will take you through some personal and best-practice business cases where sponsorship, crowd-funding and philanthropy strategies have only been successful due to engaging the media, community, stakeholders and eventual commercial partners right at the start. Brown Bread was founded to deliver game-changing public art, event and social campaign projects for people with ridiculously large ideas, mostly in post-quake Christchurch. Brown Bread is the culmination of a career in marketing, sponsorship and events - including managing the Events and Festivals strategy for Christchurch City Council, establishing and delivering NZ IceFest, producing the World Buskers Festival, marketing for Melbourne Festivals as well as the tourism and wine industry. Michelle Enright has just completed her role as Corporate Services Director at FIFA U20, and before that was General Manager Business Operations at High Performance Sport NZ. Michelle has nearly 20 years of experience working in the sporting arena in financial and management roles and is a chartered accountant. Managing event budgets can be extremely stressful. Critical to success are the components of people, processes and priorities, including managing cash flow to ensure there are no surprises along the way. Michelle will be providing key checklists and recommended processes/templates on budgeting and financial management for an event, tips on juggling cash flow and great examples of how to stay in control of contingencies. Devorah Blumberg, Manager of NZ Major Events, will give an update on recent activity and also be on hand to provide key information about investment and funding opportunities.
TICKETS: Book online via www.nzaep.co.nz/seminars
or email Lisa Dempsey, info@nzaep.co.nz for any further information. Only $25.00 for members and $50.00 for non-members.
VENUES: Auckland
Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, 88 Shortland St 9.00am – 1.00pm (3 November)
Rotorua
Pohutu Room, Skyline 9.00am – 1.00pm (4 November)
Wellington
Venue: TBA 9.00am – 1.00pm (5 November)
Christchurch
The George, Christchurch 9.00am – 1.00pm (6 November)
Dame Therese Walsh, Head of NZ ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Nicola Carter (Total Sport)
Pip Loader (Tauranga City Council)
Tim Launder (WOW)
Haydn Kerr (DDB) & Alex Lawson (ZenithOptimedia)
Events Update, September 2015
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ETF15 Conference Summary – Day 2 Here is part two of our post conference summary of sessions and speakers that featured in ETF2015. Go to the website www. eventingthefuture.org.nz for more info. Day 2 After a big night celebrating our top events, Day 2 began with a “spoof” challenging our creativity around event delivery, finishing up with a little creative “limbering up” to music. Haydn Kerr and Alex Lawson started the programme for Day 2 with an engaging presentation on how to create a new concept and leverage brand connection to achieve commercial outcomes through events. The global development of Trubridge and free diving as a sport and commercial vehicle was profiled with some interesting insights and outcomes. Taking it back to a NZ context, Devorah Blumberg, Sally Jackson and Tim Launder ran a session on “Growing the Home Grown”. Devorah began with an overview of what NZME are seeking as returns from homegrown major events. These returns include
Tourism NZ brand promotion, employment opportunities, events sector capability building, national pride, and economic impact. 33 events are currently supported by NZME with the strategic focus being to attract, retain, grow and enhance events of significance. Devorah talked about what should be in a growth strategy starting with sound feasibility assessment, knowledge of your market, investment in targeted international marketing, positioning with unique and clear brand/ identity. She stressed the importance of long term investor relationships – treating VIPs well, forming international relationships, aligning with other draw cards. Be nimble!! Nimbleness was demonstrated by Tim Lauder of World of Wearable Arts (WOW) Growth has come from a move to Wellington in 2005, with success attributed to: • a unique recipe with layers of creativity, • keeping it new and fresh with music, garments and scripts,
• risk taking embraced by host city, • 88% return customers, and • a competition element. WOW’s international strategy has focussed on international exhibits in Auckland, Australia (Townsville), Hawaii, and Seattle in collaboration with design universities and international designers. Sally Jackson from the Art Deco Trust, shared how recent investment by NZME has been used to attract international visitors, increase economic impact, ensure sustainability, strengthen links to heritage societies, appoint an international ambassador, upgrade systems, increase the volunteer base, employ event apps, engage an event mentor and develop a marketing campaign which included marketing to niche groups. They have targeted Art Deco societies in LA/Miami/New York to promote but also partnered locally with Hawkes Bay Tourism travel agents and Tourism NZ to help promote the region’s food and wine. Initiatives include international social media marketing around shows like Goodwood with similar target markets. Industry Updates One of the key outcomes of the conference is to ensure the industry is up to date with the latest regulatory and legislative changes and other influences on delivery and marketing of events. Participants got information hot from the press on: • Traffic Management & Transport - Calum Nicholson, FOAMHAND
Dave Beeche (Lagardere Unlimited Oceania)
Events Update, September 2015
Drinking Environment, Health Promotions Agency • Health and Safety legislation – DeAnne Brabant, Worksafe New Zealand • Insurance (Weather cancellation insurance changes) - Clinton Stanger and Stuart Hartley, Marsh Ltd • Legal Updates - Richard Wells, Minton Ellison Rudd Watts Marie-Claire Andrews & Claire Webber with a session titled “For the Event’s Sake… Will Everyone Tech the Heck Up!” had us sitting up. These two divas of technology made it very clear that communication and the way we interact is changing, technology is here to stay and we should be incorporating it within our events to • promote, • engage, • streamline, • gauge return on investment. When using technology to engage and involve your audience it must be easy to use, relevant and personalised using gamification. If the audience is engaged they are more likely to share their experience (via twitter/ Facebook/instagram/pinterest etc) which in turn prolongs the life of your event and promotes the next one. Surround yourself with experts and get good advice on what your event might benefit from. Keynote Jack Watts flew in from Australia and delivered some strong messages around what brands want and why it isn’t what we have been selling them!! The big message - we need to differentiate what sponsors want.
• Liquor/Alcohol - Mark Lyne,
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Key take-aways: • Upsell to existing partners rather than search for more • Ensure return on investment for your partners • Sponsors want to sell more – not just increase reach, engagement, etc • Balance sheet has direct spend to brand • Understand the consumer/ client journey • Track conversion and understand the conversion rates • Brands need to be smart know when to play and when to stay in the back room • Brands want to get more targeted - have publicly available data to share and enrich your offering • New Business is hard work, it
takes so long to get sponsors – once you get them, upsell. • Fulfill the contract, provide insights, upsell. Getty Images’s Ken Leverenz gave a lunchtime session which looked at leveraging visuals for event activation and promotion. We saw what not to do in representing your event as well as success stories. Our international keynote Professor Gang-Hoan Jeong’s second session was around future skills needed for 21st Century event professionals. The key influencers outlined were: • Risk management • Technological innovations • Global communication & cross-cultural knowledge • Sponsorship changes • Financial pressure
• Aging Societies • Feedback requirements Calum Nicholson talked about “Managing the Movements” The overall experience of an event includes how the attendees get to, from and around the event. People remember the event, not just by the quality of the actual event but by the whole experience, starting from the moment they leave their front door. Making this as safe and efficient as possible enhances the event experience. It generates benefits for the event organiser by reducing the risk and cost associated with the movement of people and transport, and can improve event revenue through increased capacity and ticket sales. Using several national and international case studies
Auckland hosts Commonwealth’s top sporting officials Source: ATEED Release, 1 September 2015
Auckland hosted about 250 high-level sporting officials last week as the Commonwealth Games Federation held its annual General Assembly in New Zealand. The General Assembly is the highest authority of the Commonwealth Sports Movement, attended by officials and elected members of the Commonwealth Games Associations (of which 70 per cent are also Olympic Committees) from 71 nations and territories. The event was hosted by the New Zealand Olympic Committee in partnership with Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and Sport New Zealand (Sport NZ).
Events Update, September 2015
ATEED Chief Executive, Brett O’Riley, says: “Hosting the 2015 General Assembly is an opportunity to showcase Auckland to a very influential and well-connected international audience and to forge relationships which could benefit Auckland’s sporting, business, events and tourism sectors in the future.” NZ Olympic Committee CEO Kereyn Smith says “We believe hosting the 2015 General Assembly will provide New Zealand sport, tourism and business with a number of significant opportunities, including future hosting of large sporting events, a major IOC session, opportunities for knowledge-sharing, and providing links to our state-ofthe-art sporting sector.”
Brett O’Riley says: “ATEED is putting the spotlight on our high performance training facilities and specialists, such as AUT Millennium. We are also providing information about everything from investment opportunities to tourism recommendations.” The 2015 General Assembly announced Durban as the host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. There are no current plans for Auckland to bid for the hosting rights of the Commonwealth Games. Any bid would need to be led by central government, with national, host city and NZOC objectives in alignment. The General Assembly is estimated to have generated 1,350 visitor nights for Auckland.
he outlined the importance and wider uses of traffic management. A lot of money is invested for a short time at event. Good experience is the take away from a spectator. Always plan for contingencies, understand the behaviour of your crowd, consider the entire journey/ experience. Our new Dame, Therese Walsh, finished the conference with a great presentation and insights on the Cricket World Cup and working in partnership delivery with Australia – not for the faint hearted!! Lots of learning, industry updates, and networking were features of ETF15. Planning has started for ETF 2016 so expect announcements soon. ●
Linked In NZAEP Group
Over 250 members have already signed up to the Linked In exclusive NZAEP Group. Visit www.linkedin.com/ groups/nzaep-6934807 to get involved.
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New Zealand Fashion Week for sale SOURCE: NZ Herald, 5 September 2015 Dame Pieter Stewart, the independently wealthy businesswoman dubbed the nation’s first lady of fashion, invited suitors to kick the tyres on the company she founded in 2001 during last week’s festivities.
question. It’s my private business and I obviously can’t continue to do it forever.” In regards to the venture’s perceived lack of profitability, she said: “Yeah but nobody knows because it is a private business.”
Dame Pieter, who announced prior to this year’s festival that she would be standing down from her role as general manager, confirmed the company was on the market but insisted she was in no hurry to complete a deal.
Although a private venture, the company does receive public funding, this year in the form of a $200,000 sponsorship payment from Ateed, Auckland Council’s events arm. The rest of its revenue is derived from sponsorships - such as the just-completed two-year alliance with Mercedes commercial agreements and, since adding public events to its closed-shop industry shows, ticket sales.
“All I can say is the business is in very good heart,” she said as she packed away boxes the day after this year’s festival ended. “We’ll sell it whenever it sells, basically. It’s not an urgent thing.”
Robert Eliott, whose company Lemongrass Productions operates a stable of culinarythemed events such as Taste of Auckland, believed there would be plenty of potential buyers for NZFW.
Asked whether the sale was intended to help the event survive, Dame Pieter said: “That’s a really strange
Major media companies Fairfax, Mediaworks and Herald publisher NZME had clearly signposted their
Potential buyers attended events and looked over the company’s books. However, there are no offers on the table.
Dame Pieter Stewart, dubbed the nation’s first lady of fashion. IMAGE CREDIT: NZ Herald.co.nz intentions to move into the events and entertainment space, he said. “It seems like every media company in town is opening up an event arm at the moment and I’d be surprised if they all weren’t having a look. Fashion Week should be ... attractive to them.” A statement supplied to the Weekend Herald by NZFW’s public relations team indicated Dame Pieter will adopt a reduced role rather than stepping away altogether.
Welcome to NZAEP’s new members! Supplier Partners SKYCITY Auckland Ltd Organisations Ed. Collective Limited Gore District Council Napier City Council New Zealand Rugby Positively Wellington Venues Royal NZ Navy Special Olympics New Zealand Team Event Limited
Events Update, September 2015
Hitesh Sharma Jane Searle, Individual Contractors Blue Dog Events Ashley Cassin, Kevin Clarke, On Course For A Cause CMG Studios Bill Roxburgh Lucy Blackmore, Brent Taylor, New Zealand New Zealand Young Farmers Tattoo & Art Festival Maria Gourlie, Cassie Lee, Left Coast Events Mediawise Event Desrae Ngatai Management Greg Howie, Nick Davion, Eventium Ltd. Etiquette Events / HB Tasha Parker-Coughlin Racing / Horse of the Year Vanessa Fleming, USCA University of Canterbury
“Dame Pieter Stewart will continue to own and run NZ Fashion Week, moving into a role as Strategic Director,” the statement said. “Dame Pieter will continue to own and run what is a very successful event, until a new owner for NZFW comes forward.” To read the full article, click here. ●
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Do you know your NZAEP Board?
Graham Rouse (Manager Major Events Design & Development, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd (ATEED)) 1. How did you come to join the Board? I applied for a vacancy last year and was fortunate enough to be seconded to the Board for the first part of 2015, which then led to the offer of a full role in June. I had dual motivations in applying. Firstly, I was really excited by the prospect of being able to contribute to a sector that’s been part of my life in one way or another for the past 14 years. Secondly, I’d never held a governance role and was really keen from both a personal and professional perspective to obtain firsthand experience in this space. 2. What do you get excited about when thinking about the New Zealand events industry? The pace that we’ve grown in recent years. I worked overseas from 2008-2012 and, just like a niece or nephew you don’t see for a while, I was staggered by the amount of change in that time! By virtue of properties like Rugby World Cup 2011 and many others, the maturity and capability of the events industry in NZ has come a long way in a relatively
Events Update, September 2015
short period and is a real cause for celebration.
New Zealand has hosted, has been your favourite and why?
3. What event, that you have been involved in, has been your stand-out favourite and why?
See answer to no. 3!
The 2002/3 Americas Cup was a game changer for me - it was the first time I’d ever worked on an event. My prior experience had all been in the tourism industry, which happily landed me a job leveraging tourism outcomes from the Cup. I loved the experience and was firmly hooked from there on in. The only disappointment of the two years I spent working on the event was the fact that the final result didn’t go NZ’s way – however, it was an awesome ride while it lasted and I’ve never looked back since. 4. What’s one of the biggest issues for the industry this year? Financial sustainability is a challenge that’s never going to go away, regardless of an event’s size, scale, audience or nature. The sinking lid of trust/grant funding is a reality as are the increasing demands and finite investment levels from both the private and public sectors. Go too far one way and you run the risk of being overreliant on the public dollar, go too far the other and you could be perceived as ‘selling out’, alienating your audience and/or diluting your product in the process. There’s no silver bullet, so every event really needs a bespoke approach to developing appropriate and viable revenue streams tailored to their own unique operating environment. 5. What major event, that
6. What community or regional event that you’ve attended has been a standout in your opinion? I’m a big fan of ASB Polyfest. The quality of the performances and the commitment, discipline and passion of the school kids who stage them is astounding. The effort that goes into everything from the rehearsals through to the costumes is there for all to see. If you haven’t been, you really should – it’s a celebration of cultures full of colour, joy and pride and is really quite inspiring. 7. Who in the New Zealand events industry, is a star performer and why? There are a number of individuals who are making waves, but I really can’t go past the very talented and hugely passionate Major Events team I work with at ATEED every day. The bar was already very high when I joined back in 2012, but they continue to raise it to new levels year on year. 8. If you could have anyone in the world to MC at an event, who would it be? Fellow NZAEP Board member Simon Green did a great job at this year’s Eventing The Future conference – but (only if I could negotiate a better rate!) I’d be tempted to go with Michael Palin.
as you can. For a start it gives you a chance to see things first hand to understand the reality behind the perceived glamour. You can also hopefully get an insight on the different elements of event management and decide if you want to be a specialist or generalist. It also provides the opportunity to meet and network with people in the industry – make the right impression and in all likelihood it will open some doors, or at very least point you in the direction of where to knock. 10. Why do you think anybody involved in events should join NZAEP? There are numerous reasons – the resources the Association provides to its members; the networking opportunities; the finger it has on the industry pulse through updates and job vacancies are certainly a few of these. Fundamentally though, if you work in events it’s definitely in your best interests to back the organisation that champions your livelihood (and, for most, your passion!).
Need Need Volunteers Volunteers for your for your
Event? Event?
9. If you could give anybody starting out in events some advice, what would it be? Volunteer at as many events
volunteernet.org.nz volunteernet.org.nz Page 8
Big job finding money for art’s sake SOURCE: Bay of Plenty Times, 1 September 2015 Finding the $1 million budget for this year’s Tauranga Arts Festival meant tapping a range of corporate sponsors and local and national government sources, with private patrons playing a crucial role, says director Jo Bond. And while major local corporates, along with key sponsors such as TECT, continue to play an important part, the arts festival tries to bring on new sponsors every year. “Some come and go as their businesses change,” she said. “Private patron sponsors and smaller businesses have been an area of growth for us through difficult economic times.” Colin Bond, regional manager, ANZ Private Bank, said there was a constant stream of people looking for sponsorship support from the bank. “Our challenge is to pick those
events that we think are most relevant to our brand and have the most impact for the spend,” he said. “Our experience in 2013 and the reason we’re doing it again is that the mix of sponsors is excellent and we get a lot out of it from a commercial perspective.
my husband were enthralled. We decided when we were approached for sponsorship that we wanted more kids and people to be exposed to the fact that Tauranga has something really special happening.”
Mark Cairns, chief executive, Port of Tauranga, said the company operated in a “pretty special” piece of real estate and got a lot out of the community.
* Budget - $1 million
The Tauranga Arts Festival * Funding: Box office, 23 per cent; cash sponsorship, 12 per cent; contra sponsorship, 15 per cent (mostly media);
patronage, 5 per cent (individual and small business donations); grants, 42 per cent (includes TECT, Creative NZ, TCC, and community trusts); other, 3 per cent (interest, bar revenues). * In 2013 the festival injected about $2.6 million into the local economy. To read the full article, click here. ●
“You can have people at the hard right end who would call sponsorship shareholder theft, but I think we have to put something back and we try to make sure we do it across all sectors.” Leanne Taylor, of Taylor Brothers Transport, said her family had been inspired to sponsor by her first festival attendance at Knee Deep, an acrobatic dance performance by Casus in 2013. “My then 9-year-old son and
Jo Bond says private patrons and smaller sponsors have been vital for the festival.
Events help send NZ’s profile rocketing SOURCE: Excepts from Tourism New Zealand Release, 25 August 2015 A record year for Tourism’s New Zealand’s international media and PR work has resulted in more than 22,000 stories about New Zealand as a destination. Coverage, across online, print and broadcast media saw about 60 stories a day in key markets. The PR and media results were achieved through the strategic leverage of key events like the ICC Cricket World Cup, the final Hobbit film, hosting more than 260 media in New Zealand
Events Update, September 2015
and some valuable media partnerships. Partnering with celebrity influencers like cricketer Stephen Fleming and Chinese reality star Huang Lei have proved hugely successful in promoting New Zealand. Print stories about New Zealand reached an estimated 638 million people while showing New Zealand in shows like China’s ‘Dad, Where are we going?’, Germany’s ‘Next Top Model’, Sarah Sechan’s talk show out of Indonesia and other television had the potential to reach a staggering
1.2 billion people. The equivalent advertising value of the media generated totalled $490 million. Rebecca Ingram, General Manager PR and Major Events said the results were outstanding and demonstrated the importance of working strategically, targeting major events, maximising opportunities available through film tourism and working with influential people in each market to promote New Zealand. She said: “The challenge now is to maintain and improve that
high level of positive exposure for New Zealand. We are constantly seeking to identify what our next strategic relationship might be, and how we can maximise our opportunities to stay ahead of our competitors. The Audi quattro Winter Games 2015 running this week in Wanaka and Queenstown has attracted some of the world’s best winter athletes and is yet another opportunity for international viewers to see the spectacular scenery and experiences New Zealand has to offer.” ●
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NEWS BRIEFS Events boost Queenstown Hotel results SOURCE: Otago Daily Times, 7 August 2015 Major events and conferences were contributing factors to Queenstown hotels recording stellar results last year, the Tourism Industry Association says. New TIA research shows resort hotels collectively recorded their highest annual occupancy and average daily rates in five years. The association’s 22 member hotels in the Wakatipu generated total revenue of $168 million last year and were up seven points in occupancy, to 73.4%, and the average daily rate was $149, up $5 on the previous year. TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said Queenstown’s performance resulted from improvements in the New Zealand economy and an increase in international visitors - up 5.1% on 2013 to 2.8 million. The resort’s results were further boosted by major events, including the Queenstown Winter Festival, the inaugural Queenstown International Marathon and several conferences. Invercargill City Council events figures “wrong” SOURCE: Southland Times, 4 August 2015
Figures released by the Invercargill City Council show its entire 2014/15 iconic events budget was spent on a single event, but the council’s boss says this is not the case.
if you took out the $70,000 from the ‘Bluff Amalgamation Fund’, the iconic events fund would actually be $5,000 under budget. New Zealand Book Awards future is secure
The agenda for Thursday’s council events committee meeting says the council spent $220,000 from the fund last financial year, despite having only $100,000 set aside in the budget.
SOURCE: Stuff.co.nz, 4 August 2015 The future of the New Zealand Book Awards has been saved thanks to sponsorship from an Auckland urban development company and entries are now open.
The Bluff Oyster & Food Festival committee was given the equivalent of the entire budget for the development of its new site, the agenda says. But council chief executive Richard King said the agenda was wrong. Only part of the $100,000 grant came from the iconic events fund, he said. “Council approved $30,000, and the other $70,000 was left over from the amalgamation of the Bluff Borough Council,” King said. “It didn’t all come from iconic events.”
Last year New Zealand Post announced it would stop its long-running sponsorship of the event but now Ockham Residential has stepped up to take its place. The partnership will provide the financial underpinning required for the literary awards to continue with
support from the Auckland Writers Festival, which will produce and showcase the awards event. Their sponsorship announcement comes just weeks after the announcement of a $50,000 prize for the top adult fiction work each year, to be provided by Tauranga community organisation, the Acorn Foundation, on behalf of one of its donors. New Zealand Book Awards Trust chairwoman, Nicola Legat, said Ockham Residential was a truly outstanding sponsor. “To have an organisation so philosophically aligned to the awards makes for a robust and rewarding partnership for us all. We look forward to a long and happy association.”
Money from the fund was handed out for the Burt Munro Challenge, Southland Buskers’ Festival, Tour of Southland, Kidzone, Polyfest and Southland Sports Car Club in 2014/15. The agenda says a total of $220,000 was allocated, but because $55,000 in funding was left over from the previous year, the overspend was just $65,000. King said
New Zealand Post Book Awards 2014: Eleanor Catton, Kirsten McDougall and Steven Toussaint.
Register your event in 3 easy steps! volunteernet.org.nz Events Update, September 2015
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Air Show chairman confident tragic UK events won’t repeat here SOURCE: NZ Herald, 27 August, 2015 The chairman of an air show association is confident the tragic events that happened in England recently won’t be repeated here. John Spry, Chair of the New Zealand Air Show Association (NZASA) said New Zealand has an enviable airshow safety record, arguably one of the best in the world. 11 people died in Shoreham in England last month after a Hawker Hunter jet performing in an airshow crashed onto the A27 after it failed to pull out of a loop manoeuvre.
While the United Kingdom Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is conducting a thorough investigation it is not appropriate to speculate on the cause or causes of the accident at this stage.” Mr Spry said. NZASA is comprised of the principals and organisers of most of the major New Zealand airshows. It was formed in 2012 to assist airshow organisers by sharing experience and information
and by offering advice and promoting solutions to enhance the safety and satisfaction of participants and spectators at New Zealand aviation events. NZASA is a member of the International Council of Airshows. The New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (NZCAA) has established specific rules, operational procedures and advisory material for the conduct of airshows, in
“We endorse and promote the NZCAA operational safety regime. All New Zealand Air Show Association accredited events comply with these rules,” he said. Mr Spry said ‘NZASA and NZCAA will continue to monitor the ongoing investigation of this accident and other international investigations to ensure that New Zealand operational and administrative procedures remain best practise. If the investigation suggests changes which are relevant to New Zealand policies and guidance the NZASA will work closely with its members and the CAA to integrate them into our existing safety regime.
While acknowledging the tragic loss of life at the airshow, Mr Spry said that we have robust rules in place to help prevent something like Shoreham happening in New Zealand. “Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families, friends and colleagues of those affected by the tragic event.
particular for the separation of display aircraft from spectator areas and the general public.
11 people died in Shoreham in England last weekend after a Hawker Hunter jet performing in an airshow crashed onto the A27. IMAGE CREDIT: Photo / Getty Images
Where can I get great Guidelines?
‘In the meantime, our thoughts, prayers and best wishes remain with those involved in this tragic accident’ he said.
Over 850 volunteers ready and waiting... volunteernet.org.nz
Events Update, September 2015
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Laneway festival needs a new home SOURCE: Stuff.co.nz, 21 August 2015 The Laneway Festival needs to relocate due to the developments in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter. Organisers were planning to hold the event at the Auckland Domain until the Lantern Festival took its place. Laneway co-organiser Mark Kneebone says the reversal of the decision came completely out of the blue. “It is incredibly frustrating to have an event that attracts 12,000 people every year, with over 3,500 of them coming from outside of the city, and then lose it to another council controlled event,” he says. “We spent the last seven months going through the process of making the necessary plans to ensure the move was seamless.”
“Those plans had progressed to the point that all the various council departments had given the sign-off for the event to go ahead,” he says. Waitemata Local Board chair Shale Chambers says this decision was made at a park officers’ level. The district plan only permits three large scale events at the domain during the summer season, from October 2 to April 30. Chambers is also deputy chair of the Domain Committee and is opposed to the public park being fenced off for a commercial event such as Laneway. Chambers is in favour of the proposed move of the Lantern Festival to the domain.
The new developments at Wynyard Quarter means Laneway Festival needs to move Lantern Festival It has been held at Albert Park since 2000 but the Lantern Festival needs to relocate due to the expiry of its resource consent. Lantern Festival spokesperson Steve Armitage says after talks with the police and Auckland Transport, a location change was needed to accommodate the growth and popularity of the festival. “The crowd density this popular festival attracts has reached a level that poses health, safety and traffic risks in the Albert Park location.”
The new location will allow the festival to grow safely while still offering a heritage park setting, Chambers says. “It is increasingly obvious that they’re a victim of their own success.” On August 4 the Domain Committee approved the creation of an event guideline to ensure they are better equipped for both small and large-scale events. While Laneway’s location is still yet to be determined Kneebone assures fans it will be going ahead next year in Auckland.
Naming rights sponsor confirmed for lights festival SOURCE: Voxy.co.nz, 8 September 2015 Taranaki’s longest-running festival has had its naming rights sponsorship confirmed for another three years. TSB Bank will continue to be the key name behind the Festival of Lights in Pukekura Park. TSB Bank Chief Executive Kevin Murphy is delighted the bank is again supporting the festival. “Over the years the TSB Bank Festival of Lights has become the entertainment centrepiece of our summer - and we’re delighted to be playing a part in helping it to remain so,” he says “It’s just
Events Update, September 2015
one more way we can say ‘thank you’ to the people of Taranaki for the support and loyalty they give us.” NPDC Manager Events Ron Murray says the festival is backed by a wide range of sponsors, including the TSB Bank Community Trust as the major community partner. However, confirmation of a naming rights sponsor for the next three years gives the festival organisers great confidence with their planning. “The Festival of Lights is hugely popular with both the public and sponsors - companies are really happy to support and be part of such a positive, family-
friendly and unique Taranaki event,” he says.
eventually branded as the Festival of Lights in 1993.
“The continued backing of TSB Bank and the opportunities this presents for the festival is one of the reasons we were a finalist for the Best Partnership Award at the New Zealand Association of Event Professionals Awards this year.”
In 2014 the TSB Bank Festival of Lights won the Best Community Event Award from the New Zealand Association of Event Professionals (NZAEP) and the New Zealand Recreation Association’s Most Outstanding Event award, and was a finalist in the Local Government NZ Awards. In 2005 Creative New Zealand named it the winner of the Cultural Festivals and Arts Events: District Councils category, and in 2000 the festival was named the Premier Cultural Festival and Arts Event by Creative New Zealand.
The festival’s origins go back to 1953 when a fountain with lights beneath it was installed in the park’s bottom lake to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. From 1957 lights were installed in the park each Christmas, which grew each year and was
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Launch of Hawke’s Health and Safety Bay Arts Festival at Work Act 2015 SOURCE: Hawke’s Bay Today, 2 September 2015 With the temporary closure of the Hawke’s Bay Opera House, the region has been lacking in arts and culture. As a result, Creative Hastings has established the Harcourts Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival. The full line-up for the inaugural festival was revealed at a lavish launch at The Hastings Community Arts Centre last night. Guests were greeted at the door with a glass of bubbles and the Anton Wuts trio performed. About 100 people, including naming sponsors and key supporters, attended. The festival is a collaboration between Creative NZ and the Hastings District and Napier City councils. Hastings councillor Sandra Hazlehurst said the festival would be a highlight on the Hawke’s Bay events calendar. “There was no convincing required - everyone we spoke to jumped on board,” Mrs Hazlehurst said.
“I can’t wait for the shows to start - I’ll be at every one.” Commencing on October 27, the festival will feature acts ranging from theatre, comedy, cabaret, dance and music to circus performances. In total, 29 acts will perfom at more than 40 events in 13 days. Festival director Pitsch Leiser said the journey of bringing the festival to the Bay had been an “amazing ride”. Mr Leiser said his team had tried its best to ensure the festival could be enjoyed by all ages. “There’s something for everyone with a smorgasbord of events, catering to all tastes.” With artists coming to Hawke’s Bay from Australia, Ireland and Denmark, it will be a festival with international flavour. All performances will be at the Havelock North Domain.
Source: www.business.govt.nz Where is the new law at?
people prepare.
The Health and Safety Reform Bill has been passed by Parliament. It will come into effect on 4 April 2016. You can view the new Act here.
Until the new Act comes into effect in April 2016, the current Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 remains in force.
What happens next?
Things you can do now.
The new law will be called the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The new law comes into effect on 4 April 2016. Between now and then WorkSafe will provide supporting information to help you get ready. In the meantime here are five things you can do now:
A series of regulations are being developed to support the new Act. These include: • General risk and workplace management • Major Hazard Facilities • Engagement, worker participation and representation (available shortly for public consultation) More information is on the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment webpage. Once the regulations are finalised, WorkSafe will issue formal guidance to support the Act and regulations. This formal guidance will start to become available in 2016. In the meantime WorkSafe will develop general information on the new legislation to help
• Familiarise yourself with the key concepts of the legislation • Review your health and safety practices • Identify health and safety risks in your business and take steps to prevent these from causing harm • Lead by example • Make health and safety part of your workplace culture You can sign-up for Worksafe New Zealand updates on progress of the legislation here.
Further Information Further information Visit WorkSafe New Zealand’s website Find the answers to your questions Volunteers and the Health and Safety at Work Act summary Read the Government’s press release on the Beehive website Working Safer key documents
Harcourts Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival director Pitsch Leiser, at last night’s launch. IMAGE CREDIT: Paul Taylor
Events Update, September 2015
Working Safer: A blueprint for health & safety at work Read the latest Working Safer: Progress towards the 2020 target report Progress towards the 2020 target report - 2014 update
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