Auckland misses out on funding for parade
Efforts to bring about the return of a pride parade in Auckland next year appears to have been in vain after Rainbow Pride Auckland missed out on Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) funding. In a statement, ATEED said their investment into the Auckland Rainbow Pride Parade was conditional on the event organisers meeting certain criteria to keep it within the guidelines of Auckland’s major events strategy, and they failed to do so. “The organisers have been unable to find a route that would allow them to deliver an event of the scale they’d originally proposed. The revised scale of the event means it no longer meets the criteria for funding,” ATEED’s general manager Steve Armitage said. Rainbow Pride Auckland has said it would continue to work on plans for pride month next year despite being unable to secure the funding.
The organisation’s acting board chair, Nate Moss-Penman, said the extensive works and construction across the central city were the parade plans’ biggest roadblock. “We are in ongoing discussions about alternative options which still align with our vision of delivering a world-class celebration in Auckland,” Moss-Penman said.
The organisation said the massive amount of work happening across the city due to the city rail link and the redevelopment of Karangahape Road and Quay Street means it would be unsafe to hold a motorised parade. “We have to value the safety of our parade participants and spectators, and right now Auckland City can’t accommodate the parade on a scale that we would like to have delivered.” Rainbow Pride Auckland say it has begun discussions to organise a walking parade as well as a range of other pride celebrations next year.