Hopkins-Burns and Hindley The highly-successful Outgames held in Wellington in March have brought in a financial surplus which community groups will be able to apply for. "While we still have a little way to go before we can release final figures for the event, we can say that the surplus is likely to be greater than NZ$75,000," says 2nd AsiaPacific Outgames Outgames Co-chair David Hindley. Some of this money will be set aside as seeding finance for the 3rd AsiaPacific Outgames, wherever the event may be held. A grants scheme is currently being developed to allow community groups to apply for money from the balance of the funds. "The financial strength of the event is largely due to the generosity of sponsors," says Co-chair Virginia Hopkins-Burns. "The Kingdom of the Netherlands provided very significant financial support to the human rights conference, and some other funding bodies also provided cash grants in excess of NZ$10,000 each. Local organisations, including Rainbow Wellington and Gayline Wellington, were also very generous with their cash support." Analysis of a survey of over 330 Outgames participants also indicates that the event brought a financial benefit of between $1.2 and $1.8 million to Wellington. A report with final financial details, and details on how community groups can apply for funding, will be published in a few months’ time.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 9th June 2011 - 12:55pm