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Wellington welcomes WOW’s win
6 November 2013
Wellington welcomes WOW’s win
Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said she is delighted that World of WearableArt is to receive Major Events Fund support for the first time.
Prime Minister John Key announced last night that WOW, which has been hosted in Wellington City since 2005, will receive $900,000 central government funding to enable greater international reach.
“This is a good step forward for the World of WearableArt and for Wellington City,” said Mayor Wade-Brown. “This is an excellent investment from Central Government, and today’s announcement confirms the significance of this truly amazing event.
“Congratulations to Dame Suzie Moncrieff and her team for their hard work to develop WOW. The new overseas touring exhibition will draw the world’s eyes to the WOW event in Wellington and enable us to promote the Capital very positively indeed.”
The funding is targeted at making WOW even more well-known internationally, attracting visitors to New Zealand and connecting with business opportunities. The exhibitions will tour Asia , Europe and North America.
“This is an excellent development for WOW. Innovation, creativity and a focus on sustainability make WOW a great showcase for New Zealand design talent,” said the Mayor.
Councillor Jo Coughlan, Chair of the Economic Growth and Arts Committee, said: “This funding will complement Wellington’s tourism's efforts in the Australian market, attract international visitors to the city, and increase the number of shows each season, all of which will increase the economic impact of the event and provide a boost for Wellington's profile.
“Each year the World of WearableArt gets bigger and better, pumping millions of dollars into the Wellington economy, drawing almost 50,000 attendees and employing around 400 people to stage the production,” said Cr Coughlan.
The Mayor says the decision further underlines the value of the investment made by Wellington City to first attract the World of WearableArt to the Capital, and the 2012 renewal of the partnership for another nine years
“Today’s announcement of Major Event Funding will help more of the world to enjoy the World of WearableArt.”
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