A venue has been chosen and time and date confirmed for one of the most important glbt community meetings to be held in Auckland in some time, the choice of community representatives to steer a new festival of glbt life and culture into place. Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse backed by Nikki Kaye MP and Anne Speir at an earlier Festival meeting. Three previous public meetings have now created a mandate to set in place a more formal Interim Board/Round Table to determine the final shape, structure and mode of governance of a permanent organisation. This body will be tasked with ensuring community control and long-term oversight of a tentatively titled Auckland Pride Festival. It is not anticipated that it will be the final organisation to oversee the actual festival. "The interim Round Table committee will charged with a responsibility to return to the broader community and the people who have participated in this process so far with a specific proposal for any long term structure, and to seek approval of that," says the chair of the initial public metings, Gresham Bradley of the Gay Auckland Business Association (GABA) "It was generally agreed that these nine or maybe eleven individuals selected for the 'Round Table' should ideally have between them a range of experience and understanding of legal, financial and operational experience of similar events or be representatives from our main community organisations," Bradley says. The meeting is set for 2pm, Sunday July 10th, Charlotte Museum, Unit 7a, 43a Linwood Ave, Western Springs (off St Lukes Road from MOTAT). Refreshments will be provided but a koha to help cover the costs would be appreciated.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 30th June 2011 - 12:20am