War of words over Womad
New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom has told Greenpeace to put its money where its mouth is after the environmental group urged Taranaki’s biggest festival to dump oil industry money.
In an open letter yesterday, Greenpeace said it loves Womad, ‘‘but its sponsors suck’’.
Greenpeace programme director Niamh O’Flynn said Todd Energy and OMV are backing next month’s event, despite ‘‘persistent criticism from local groups that such sponsorship erodes the spirit of Womad, which promotes itself as environmentally friendly and a celebration of multiculturalism’’.
Greenpeace referenced Wikipedia, an open source encyclopaedia, that alleges OMV is complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan.
‘‘As an international festival that celebrates diversity, and brings artists together from all over the world, Womad is in a unique position to use its platform to take a stand and protect the values it promotes.’’
But Holdom said if Greenpeace wanted a change in sponsorship it could invest some of the millions it raises from New Zealanders
and sponsor Womad instead of attacking an event ‘‘built on bringing people together to celebrate diversity, inclusivity, peace, music, dance, creativity, environmentalism and love’’.
Taranaki’s energy sector is a recognised and respected part of the community and has committed to environmental excellence, Holdom said. The sector had invested "time, people and money into reducing New Zealand’s carbon footprint, unlike Greenpeace, who we only see in Taranaki when they want to come in and make a political statement’’.
Womad, which stands for World of Music, Arts and Dance, began in England in 1982 and has held more than 160 festivals around the world.
It has been Taranaki’s flagship festival since 2003 and by 2018 had generated $125.9 million – an average of $9 million a year – for the local economy.
Last year’s festival saw 17,414 people come through the gates.
No one from the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (Taft), which runs Womad in New Plymouth, would speak to the media about Greenpeace’s letter on Thursday or answer questions around how much the three-day event costs to put on.
But in emailed a statement, chief executive Suzanne Porter said without the support of a range of partners and sponsors who provide financial and logistical support ‘‘Womad in a small population base such as Taranaki’s would not be able to present this world-class event’’.
‘‘These partners are intrinsic to the success of Womad NZ, allowing us to create an event that increases the engagement and pride of the Taranaki community and beyond.
‘‘Womad New Zealand could not be achieved without the help of all its sponsors, which are wide-ranging, from local to national businesses and organisations.’’
Womad NZ was grateful for the sponsors support, she said.
‘‘Sustainability is an integral part of the festival strategy, and we take careful consideration to ensure that the festival is environmentally friendly.’’
An OMV spokesman said the energy company shares the ideals around Womad and was proud to promote and support the event, which this year runs from March 13-15.