Submission
9 year plan feedback
Should we remove 231 Stuart Street (formerly the Fortune Theatre) from the list of strategic assets in the DCC Significance and Engagement policy?
Do you have any comments about 231 Stuart Street?
Should we charge an entry fee of $20 (incl. GST) for international visitors aged 16 and over, at Toitū and Dunedin Public Art Gallery?
Do you have any comments about the entry fee for international visitors?
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
Events Funding – Support of Draft LTP
This submission is made by the Otago Sports Car Club, the organiser of the annual Otago Rally. The Otago Rally is a major motorsport event with national/international participation and media profile. It has run continuously since 1976 and in recent years receives DCC Premier Event funding (e.g. $59,000 in both 2024 and 2025). The amount of this support has been static in recent years, but is still hugely appreciated.
Background – Otago Rally
The Rally is entirely run by volunteers and its local economic impact is in the order of 8,000 accommodation bednights and $3Million direct spend in Dunedin. This has been formally calculated using the MBIE methodology. It has a strong media profile with over 40 accredited journalists attending, both national and international, representing photojournalism, digital media, video and TV. The event incorporates video promotional footage from the DCC, which is added to the footage we produce that seeks to include much of our stunning scenery and special features.
The Otago Sports Car Club attended various workshops leading up to the production of the Draft Festival and Events Plan, and we provided a submission on that Plan in January.
Submission
Our submission is that:
• We endorse the Draft Festival and Events Plan (noting some comments on the detail in our January submission).
• We strongly support the Draft 9yr LTP proposed grants funding. This effectively adopts Option One of Enterprise Dunedin’s 28 January report on the Draft Festival and Events Plan. That is, to provide the highest level of funding for both the Community Events and Major Events Implementation Plans.
We support the draft Festival and Events Plan’s aim to take a strategic approach to the City’s events, by supporting them through areas such as city and domestic marketing, comprehensive evaluation, and industry capability. Over many years, we have had a very positive experience of the support from DCC staff.
Discussion
We provide a perspective of an event organising team that includes people (including the writer) who have been fully involved for over 30 years. In that time the demands on the organisers and their budget have increased very significantly. Everything needs to be done in an increasingly professional manner and those providing services expect to be paid accordingly. Even without the budget pressure, the demands on the volunteer organiser’s time are ever-increasing.
Our experience is that the competitors’ entry fees and commercial sponsorship are only just enough to run a ‘bare-bones’ event. That is, with very little left for special features or promotion. This is the case for motorsport events throughout NZ, and our observation is that this is true for many other types of events too. This type of budget means events cannot grow or innovate, introducing the real risk that they peter out. It’s not much fun as an organiser to see the potential but be unable to pursue it.
On the other hand, additional funding, such as a DCC Events Grant, allows the organiser to innovate and provide wider benefits for the sport and for the community. A ‘virtuous cycle’ can be created where the event can do more things, bring in more competitors, followers, and increased 3rd party funding. By way of example, the Otago Rally received $59,000 from DCC for their recent 2025 event, but was able to source other funding to provide a total of over $200,000 for event promotion. This was as a result of being able to provide a bigger event with many more features and benefits for both the sport and the community. In consequence, this leads to the 8,000 bednights and $3M local spend in the economy.
Our opinion is that the DCC and consequential funding allows the event to be double what it might otherwise be in terms of direct community financial benefit, and that it is the direct reason for being able to pursue the national and international promotion.
We are sure that other event organisers would tell a similar story as ours. Event organising is very rewarding, but tough on the many volunteers. Financially, it is getting measurably harder every year. Events provide a huge richness for our community and help show we are one of the world’s great small Cities. In the case of the Otago Rally we can show a large return on investment to the community.
Local Water Done Well feedback
Which water services delivery model do you support?
Why did you choose this option?
Do you have any other feedback related to the proposed water services delivery models?
Supporting information
No associated documents with this submission.
Submitter
Submission id number: 1132188
Submitter name:
Roger Oakley
Organisation
Otago Rally, Otago Sports Car Club (OSCC)