Dollar-a-head plea for Games from Canty

Press, 13 December 1989, Page 1

Dollar-a-head plea for Games from Canty

By

NIGEL MALTHUS

Canterbury people are being asked to contribute $1 a head of ratepayers’ money to help bail out the Commonwealth Games. The chairman of the Auckland Regional Council, and a director of the Commonwealth Games Company, Mr Colin Kay, put the case to Canterbury mayors yesterday as part of a last-ditch national tour seeking help with the Games’ expected $l9 million operating deficit.

“It was all very well when we thought we could do it with sponsorship, biit I have to go out now and say ‘we didn’t do it.’ So

I’m appealing that we need you — and we do,” Mr Kay said. The Games had originally been planned purely on commercial lines, with sponsorship expected to cover costs of $B3 million. Earlier this year, it was realised that sponsorship would fall short, and a report produced in July showed a $25 million shortfall. That had since been trimmed to about $l9 million.

Even if fully supported, the “dollar-a-head” call for support from the rest of the country would still leave the Games $l6 million short, of which Auckland ratepayers will have to find twothirds.

The call was supported by Sir

Ronald Scott, the chairman of the successful 1974 Games in Christchurch, and Mr Richard Johnson, the chairman of the Canterbury Regional Council.

Sir Ronald said that the Auckland Games would be a national event, benefiting sport for the whole country. “There will be Cantabrians competing and winning medals. It’s reasonable that we should contribute,” he said.

Mr Johnson said that it was not a regional council role to contribute directly, but he hoped that the district councils would do so and help publicise and facilitate appeals for funds from indivi-

duals and businesses. The Deputy Mayor of Christchurch, Dr Morgan Fahey, was expected do put the case for a Christchurch contribution to the City Council meeting on Monday.

The Games appeal took, a blow last Monday evening, however, when the Dunedin City Council voted not to contribute, in spite of an earlier decision by the Dunedin Transition Committee to provide $lOO,OOO.

The city secretary, Mr Duncan Field, said that the transition committee’s powers were limited and its decisions could only be treated as recommendations to the new council.

Mr Kay had been in Dunedin on Monday to state his case, but an administrative mix-up meant that he was unable to meet the Otago regional mayors before having to move on to Canterbury. He will fly to Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne tomorrow to wind up his two-week tour.

A further approach by Auckland local bodies to get more funds out of the Government also failed on Monday, when the Minister of Recreation and Sport, Mr Tapsell, reiterated the Government’s intention to meet only one-third of the eventual deficit and have Auckland ratepayers meet the rest.