This is the 9th Annual Fashion week in Auckland. But the organizers were saying this year was hard since they found it difficult to come up with funding to stage the event.
Excuse me? If this is such a stunning event of significance shouldn't it be self-funding from receipts and charges?
If it's not then what's the point of having a commercial event?
This is the same week that some jobsworth has decided that sports clubs can't receive donations from charitable trusts (pub poker machines) because in essence they are not charitable organizations. Poker Machines prop up the racing "industry" another unsustainable past-time.
Sports clubs though? What do they do with the money. For as long as I've been having my child play sports it's been fees for this, fees for kits, fees for travel, fees to go tournament, club fees, you name it it goes on. And they are not minority sports.
By and large they use council owned facilities, and have dubious facilities at best, assembled in the roaring 70's mostly.
Sure you need sponsorships, you'd be a nut-bar if you thought 6,000 gate tickets pays for 25 professional rugby players and as many back-room staff.
But it's always struck me as ironic that something that is clearly commercial often calls for government cash to support it, if it really was that important then wouldn't it fund itself. I'd be willing to bet Cirque Du Soleil, WWE, U2, Simon and Garfunkel et al. all made a commercial killing. Why would they come otherwise.
Then on the other hand NZRFU have already chalked up negative $30 million for the right to host the world cup. And we'll end up with a white elephant in the middle of a urban centre- still it'll be nice for the 6000 faithfull every other week to watch from the Gods their professional athletes. Won't it.
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