Nelson Weekly
03 548 2770 41 Nile Street East, Nelson
03 548 2770 03 548East, 2770 41 Nelson 41 Nile Nile Street Street East, Nelson
Locally Owned and Operated
41 Nile Street East, Nelson
Wednesday 22 January 2025
Page 20
Page 6
Champs go swimmingly
‘Virtually’ the best
Nelson at risk of losing events MAX FRETHEY
Local Democracy Reporter
Rising costs at council venues in Nelson are raising questions about the viability of events in the city. Evolve Festival, the country’s longest-running wellness festival, is traditionally held at Founders Heritage Park over a two-day weekend but was scaled back to just one day and shifted to Kinzett Terrace this January. Director Bex Deva says that the cost of hiring Founders increased by $10,000 over the last two years to reach a “ridiculous” $15,000. Ticket prices would have had to rise drastically to cover the cost which wasn’t feasible in the current financial environment. “It’s… quite sad, because the event has used Founders for so long, and it is such a great venue,” she says. While the future of the festival is unknown at this stage because of changing person-
al plans, Bex doesn’t believe Evolve can return to Founders Park at the current rate. “It’s unrealistic to expect that much money for the kind of event that it is.” A representative of the craft beer festival Marchfest and Ciderfest echoed concerns. Both festivals also take place at Founders Heritage Park and the cost of running the events has increased by about 25 per cent between 2023 and 2024 after several years of little change. Though the events will remain at Founders for 2025, the rising costs prompted looks at other venues. “Founders is an amazing venue to hold a festival… but the increase in costs has put a real strain on our budget,” said the representative, who asked to remain anonymous. “It just makes everything difficult, because not only is the venue hire increasing, all
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Olivia Martyn and her greyhound Curly. Photo: Kate Russell.
Mixed reaction to greyhound racing ban KATE RUSSELL While the recently announced ban on greyhound racing may seem like a good decision to many, a local owner says it could have been approached better. On 10 December, it was an-
nounced by Deputy Prime Minister and Racing Minister Winston Peters, that greyhound racing in New Zealand would be banned after a 20-month phase-out period. The greyhound industry has been on notice over animal welfare concerns for several years and there
have been three reviews over the past decade, all recommending significant changes. “Despite significant progress made by the greyhound racing industry in recent years, the percentage of
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