I write in response to the letter from MJ Worlledge regarding TECT funding to the Tauranga Arts Festival.
Jon Mayson is Chair of the Tauranga Arts Festival Trust which is a Charitable Trust.
I am the Director of the Festival and it is my role to run the biennial Festival under the guidance of the Trust Board.
Mr Worlledge's claim that 'according to reports” the festival runs a million dollars over budget is far from true.
We know of no such reports and in fact the entire 2007 festival budget was less than $900,000 and also achieved a surplus. The Annual Report which includes our financial statement is freely available and a copy has been sent to the correspondent.
Finally I would like to make the point that the Festival caters to all ages and sectors of the community and is not in any way elitist. The 2007 festival bears testament to that with over 100,000 people viewing the free photographic exhibition Earth From Above.
P Tremewan, Festival Director