Fri 14 Aug 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Craig Watson A member of the group working towards getting the Auckland Outgames 2016 back on track believes the Outgames Board, which resigned en masse a month ago, has been uncommunicative and “incredibly immature”. The board's first communication to the glbti communities since their resignations was a statement, released to GayNZ.com Daily News last night, explaining that they resigned due to the Outgames' international body GLISA not allowing the games to be delayed so a severe sponsorship funding hole could be addressed. The statement said the board members, who it is understood had to give three months notice when they resigned, are directing that the Auckland Outgames 2016 Inc. organising body, which signed the agreement to run the sporting, human rights and cultural event, be wound up. Craig Watson, a project and event manager who is one of the volunteers trying to get the event off the ground, today told GayNZ.com Daily News the board members "haven't spoken to their volunteers in over two months and have left them passionate but feeling helpless. “Their child like response to the media last night is a clear example of the poor leadership that the lgbt community in Auckland puts in these responsible roles. “Auckland needs a new group of men and women who can ‘work together’ and not act like children and throw tantrums when the going gets tough.” Watson says deferring the games to later in 2016 is not an option as the World Outgames are in early 2017. “And therefore we would have to defer to another year which I believe would look very poor for our community and Auckland. “So that's why I am still volunteering my time to see this event happen.” Watson says he wants the community to know that some people are still fighting to make this games work, and he is “embarrassed” at “how this has got to the place it has”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 14th August 2015 - 1:43pm