The New Zealand 2011 Festival Lottery Fund will help us celebrate our arts and culture, food and wine, heritage, entertainment, and lifestyle, and showcase them to the 85,000 visitors expected at the tournament.
The NZ 2011 Lottery Fund of $9.48 million has been distributed to the organisers of the 175 public events being held as part of the Real New Zealand Festival, which will run alongside the World Cup.
The Real New Zealand Festival will feature nationwide events and activities, such as concerts, festivals and exhibitions, and sports competitions, in which communities will play an important role.
All but two of the festival events planned for Christchurch are going ahead. Lottery funds are contributing to 17 events in Canterbury and 15 national projects which involve the region.
Some Lottery-funded highlights include $100,000 for a Taste of Southland festival, $8,000 for the Hastings Blossom Festival, $10,000 towards Tolaga Bay’s Uawa Rugby Union and Sport Club’s event, $29,800 for a Hawke’s Bay art deco festival, and $30,000 for a Maori art market to be held in Porirua.
Our towns and districts, maximising what they have to offer, will draw travelling Cup fans to our heartland, boosting local pride and prosperity.
