Manukau lost the Ellerslie International Flower Show to Christchurch last month and no longer hosts the Rally of New Zealand Super Special stage after the event went to Hamilton some years ago.
A report to the council’s strategic directions committee in July 2005 said Manukau lacked leadership in the events sector and didn’t have an events policy and strategy.
"The events sector is now highly competitive and the council is ill-equipped for the future," the report said, criticising "disjointed coordination of events activity, currently managed in a reactive manner".
A "major review of events" was launched at the council with an events policy or strategy scheduled to be signed off in April 2006.
A councillor sounding board was also supposed to provide input, direction and guidance.
The report said "significant funding will be required to ensure the future outcomes for events are successfully implemented".
But Manurewa councillor John Walker says the councillor sounding board, to which he was nominated as a member, never met.
Other sounding board nominees were councillors Arthur Anae, Dick Quax, Bob Wichman, Sharon Stewart, Arthur Solomon, Neil Morrison and David Collings.
Work is still being done on the new events strategy but Mr Walker says it is time for a further review.
Several senior staff involved in the work had left the council over time, he says.
Mr Walker intends to raise the issue at tomorrow’s grants and events funding subcommittee meeting.
He favours the council picking out one or two major events and supporting them but not at the expense of local and community events.
"It is very difficult to spread the money across the board."
Events supported by the council ranged from the Ellerslie International Flower Show to small local functions.
Its sponsorship fund for major events is $200,000.
Mayor Len Brown accepts the criticism of the council’s efforts towards a new strategy and says the city needs one that is "very clear, focused and effective".
It should be focused on Manukau’s people and the diversity in the city.
More major events can be built from successful local and community ones but these should be done really well first, he says.
Mr Brown would like to see a major Chinese New Year festival in Manukau by 2009 and a united Diwali celebration as well as more Matariki celebrations, an extended ASB Polyfest and growth in smaller events.
The Manukau council’s long-term plan says major events generate millions of dollars of economic benefit
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