THE 2011 Rugby World Cup is less than a year away and Wellington’s tourism preparations are heating up.
Coinciding with the RWC’s first match, next year’s Montana World of WearableArt Awards Show will run a week longer; InterCity Group has launched a bus to join those already touring visitors round Wellington places of interest; Midland Park is currently mid-makeover and of course there’s the $360,000 sculpture.
Wellington City Council has also changed the allocation of funds in its cultural grant pools. There are three cultural grant pools a year, which are traditionally allocated the same amount of funding. This year however, the next funding round – which closes on October 31 – will receive more money.
“I think the desire is to have stuff happen around the city at the time to showcase our diverse communities,” grants advisor Mike Farrar says.
Successful grant applicants have one year to deliver proposed projects, so the October round – the results of which are decided mid-December – is the ideal round to focus on.
Capital Times asked Farrar if any organisations who traditionally receive funding were turned-down in the latest round.
“It’s fair to say there were some declines, there were some tough calls to make, but it’s not a given that anybody will always get a grant,” he said.
Meanwhile, one organisation that was declined funding was the New Zealand Comedy Trust, who run the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.
Kylie Aitchison, who’s in charge of funding, found out this week that the comedy trust’s application was unsuccessful and has yet to speak to the council.
Wellington City Council funding is a big part of us being able to put the festival on in Wellington,” she says. “We’ll need to see if it’s still realistic.”
Farrar says the NZ Comedy Trust can still apply in the October funding round.