World competition provides windfall

THE New Zealand Masters Games has made money from the World Masters Games which took place in Auckland last year.

The money will not go directly to the Games organisers in Dunedin or Whanganui but will go to the umbrella organisation which oversees the competitions.

The Masters Games, which take place in alternate years in Dunedin and Whanganui, was held in Dunedin earlier this year.

The World Masters Games in Auckland last year attracted about 28,000 athletes from 100 countries and generated more than $34 million for the Auckland economy.

A surplus of $831,000 was achieved after final calculations and, as a result, a grant of $50,000 was delivered to the New Zealand Masters Games company. The company is a limited liability company that owns the New Zealand Masters Games event.

The Dunedin City Council and the Whanganui District Council each own a franchise and have each appointed a trust to manage and deliver the event in their respective cities.

In March, it emerged the Whanganui District Council was forced to step in and clear debts for the trust which runs the Whanganui Masters Games. A new trust committee was appointed.

The World Masters Games body also made grants to the 28 different sports which made up the event in Auckland.

The financial result for the Masters Games in Dunedin this year is still being finalised and should be known in the next few weeks.