Mon 10 Nov 2014 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Julian Cook has confirmed he has resigned as Auckland Pride Festival Director. He’s told GayNZ.com Daily News he remains a huge supporter of the event. “I love and support the festival and if I thought there was any other alternative to me then I wouldn’t have done it,” he says of his resignation. “I just hope that it goes from strength to strength and I‘ll fully support the new Festival Director as much as I can.” He won’t comment on the reasons for his departure, but it's believed to centre on the Pride Board making an appointment of a new Executive Officer. It was announced in July that board member Linda Heavey was stepping down as Treasurer to take on “a non-voting advisory role”, where she would be “representing the Board as part of the Auckland Pride Festival management team”. Heavey has since been listed on the Auckland Pride website as the Executive Officer. Cook had been with Auckland Pride since its 2013 inception and was committed to ensuring it included a wide range of events, and was run smoothly. Auckland Pride 2015 begins in February. GayNZ.com Daily News is trying to reach the Auckland Pride Festival Trust Board for comment.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 10th November 2014 - 9:48am