Otaki TodayThe Ōtaki Kite Festival won’t carry on much longer unless sponsors can be found.
That’s the stark assessment from the Ōtaki Promotions Group (ŌPG), which organises the event. The group is concerned that the traditional funding streams will be reduced or disappear, just as costs increase.
Since the first festival in 2013, the ŌPG has relied on funding from Kāpiti Coast District Council and charitable trusts. That funding has been supplemented by kite sales and other merchandise, plus fees for food trucks and craft stalls.
At the same time, compliance costs have escalated. The three main ones – traffic management, portable toilet numbers and zero waste management – total nearly $30,000 for every event.
And this year, KCDC has reduced the total amount available to groups through the Major Events Fund to $180,000, down from $200,000. It has been the main funding source for the kite festival.
“That fund has been very much appreciated,” says festival director Kirsty Doyle. “But this year, the ŌPG will be competing with other Kāpiti – and Ōtaki – events for a reduced amount of money.
“While we believe we have a strong case for continued funding, there are no guarantees.”
The strong case is that the kite festival draws a huge number of visitors annually not only to Ōtaki, but also into the Kāpiti Coast from other districts. It’s also the Coast’s biggest free community event, attracting an estimated 20,000 people during the festival weekend.
“We have no ability to charge visitors – it’s not like we can sell tickets and put a turnstile on the beach,” Kirsty says. “At the same time, the ŌPG has always been adamant that the kite festival continue as a free community event, one where locals can come to the beach and enjoy the spectacle without having to pay for anything.
“If we want that to continue, it means we will need help from sponsors.”
It costs about $70,000 to stage the kite festival. Apart from compliance costs, the ŌPG pays for the festival director’s wages; live entertainment; airfares, internal travel, accommodation and meals for overseas and New Zealand kite flyers.
More than 60 volunteers – plus the volunteer members of the ŌPG – help out with parking, site marshalling, and information/sales tent duties.
Ōtaki hosts New Zealand’s largest kite festival, and it’s internationally recognised as one of the best among overseas flyers.
“We know the Ōtaki community loves the kite festival and we’ll do everything we can to keep it going,” Kirsty says.
• Anyone wishing to help, or to discuss sponsorship, can email otakikitefestival@gmail.com
