2.30PM: Hero trustees are believed to be furious that their negotiations for the Hero Parade's return have been revealed prematurely in the general media, before arrangements with the Auckland City Council, sponsors and other interested parties including possible event organisers have been formalised. The news has been presented in a manner which strongly infers that the parade is now confirmed to go ahead during next year's Hero Festival, although GayNZ.com understands this is not necessarily the case. A member of the Hero Trust, a small group of gay people who have been overseeing the gradual recovery of occasionally debt-plagued Hero in recent years, expressed complete surprise to see the news printed in this morning's Herald on Sunday, and was bewildered that a gay Community Board member for the Western Bays area, which includes the parade route, was interviewed on the radio, seemingly confirming the Parade's return. However, the Trust member does not wish to be quoted directly all until fellow trustees have had an opportunity to discuss the situation. GayNZ.com understands that negotiations with the City Council are some way from being finalised and that possible sponsorship from vodka company 42Below is far from confirmed. It is not clear whether the premature announcement will have adversely affected Hero's negotiations with these parties. GayNZ.com has known for several weeks that the resurrection of the Parade was being seriously investigated, but agreed to the Hero Brand Management Group's request to embargo that information until a possible announcement at the Hero party last night. We were advised late last week that any parade announcement was still some time off and again agreed to support Hero's wish to keep the information confidential until a formal announcement. "It's rather sad that a person, or people, involved with the gay community's most public and contentious event chose to divulge information through the general media rather than the gay community media," says GayNZ.com content editor Jay Bennie. A clearly rattled Hero Brand Management Group spokesperson Michael Modrich, who is quoted in the Herald article outlining the probable route for the parade, moments ago declined to comment to GayNZ.com on the situation and referred requests for an interview to a spokesperson for the Hero Trust who has not yet been able to be reached. Ref: GayNZ.com (j)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Sunday, 25th February 2007 - 12:00pm