(Pictured L-R: Simon Randall, Antony Ovens, Vaughan Meneses, Sam Shore, Gresham Bradley, Lindsay Rea, Anne Speir, Tony Walker and Nick Lange) A 10-person volunteer steering group has formed to do the initial 'boring' groundwork for the proposed Auckland pride festival. The ten put their hands up, some with a little urging from those gathered, at a meeting at the Charlotte Museum this afternoon. The group which will decide how the event will be governed features a mixture of youth and experience, with GABA Deputy and former Auckland community board member Lindsay Rea offering her astute knowledge and Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board member Simon Randall bringing his understanding of the inner-workings of the new Auckland Council, along with his proficiency in the area of finance. Former Hero Charitable Trust Chair Anne Speir will add her familiarity with event organising from years of working on Hero, while Vaughan Meneses will bring his skill as OUTLine General, along with his experience from also working on Hero. Tony Walker from Law Works will be the team's legal eagle, while Wayne Lockwood will offer financial advice. Antony Ovens from Auckland's UniQ and Sam Shore from Rainbow Youth will represent their organisations and the younger voice, while Nick Lange will add sexual health expertise and networking skills. The group will be chaired by Gay Auckland Business Association Charitable Trust Chair Gresham Bradley, who has made it very clear he will step aside altogether once the framework is in place, as he has no intention of having in part in running the event. The steering group's mandate is to come back to the community in one month's time with a clear set of recommendations about what the ongoing governance of a festival would look like. "We need to have this group engaged in serious consultations with Council," Bradley pointed out. "So that we know that we do actually go through the process of establishing this group we have something real to work on. It has been made clear to Council from the start that this is not a group that is going to go on bended knee and supplicate for money. "The Council has to agree that it will fund an Auckland pride festival. That the group we choose out of this process to run that is acceptable to Council, and therefore other sponsors and other sources of revenue, and that that whole process is understandable by everyone in the community as by and for the community." Bradley says the crucial question now is whether the Council will put its money where its mouth is. "We're not going to go and create an organisation that has got no role. Because if the Council isn't prepared to play ball and make this happen, by putting big dollars on the table, then there's no point and we've essentially wasted our time, which would be a very frustrating situation. "Now I don't believe that's the situation. It's quite the reverse. All the signals are that yes, the Council is prepared to put its money where its mouth is and that this process that we've engaged in is the correct path to help that finally come to fruition." Bradley warned the group the work it will do will be somewhat boring, but crucial. The steering group will not run any eventual festival and it was suggested by Speir the eventual management body should have transgender and takataapui representatives, who are lacking from the steering group. The transition team remains open for anyone who thinks they can bring something to the table. Its first meeting has been set down for Tuesday 19 July at Garnet Station in Herne Bay at 6pm. Labour's Jacinda Ardern was at the meeting and once again pledged her support and help. Bradley says National MP Nikki Kaye, who sparked the push for an Auckland 'mardi gras' type event and has helped through the initial stages, will send a letter to Auckland Council on Monday to inform the new transition group has been set up and will then leave it to the glbt community, which she always pledged to do. Auckland City Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse has also attended meetings and has also said she will do what she can to help.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 10th July 2011 - 5:03pm