Dunedin Masters Games Announces Budget Surplus

Dunedin (Tuesday, 3 June 2014) - Careful budgeting and naming rights sponsorship from the Southern Trust have enabled the Dunedin (New Zealand) Masters Games Trust (DNZMGT) to report a surplus of $104,000 in its 2012/14 financial results.

Masters Games Co-ordinator Vicki Kestila says the surplus was achieved due to the generosity of the Southern Trust together with creative efforts by the core Masters Games team to better utilise available funds.

“For instance, we decided to not have the usual Otago Community Trust Games Village marquee at the University of Otago,” Mrs Kestila says. “Instead, we made considerably more use of the University’s Link and of its refurbished Student Union building. That saved a significant amount and, despite the marquee being a long-term feature of the Games, it didn’t affect participant satisfaction rates, which were up to 93.05%.”

Half (50.4%) of the Games’ 5,379 competitors came from outside the Dunedin, many accompanied by supporters. The 1,813 respondents to a DNZMGT economic impact survey of Masters Games participants showed their average expenditure was $717 per person, mostly spent on accommodation, food and beverages.

The 2014 Games had estimated total economic impact of $3.5 million for Dunedin, with the total value added to the city from visitor spending estimated at $1.9 million.

DNZMGT Chairman and Dunedin City Councillor John Bezett says, “These are particularly good results, especially given one of our major catchment areas, Christchurch, is still recovering from the 2010-11 earthquakes.

“Southern Trust’s sponsorship and staff budgeting certainly helped with the 2014 Games finances, but we can never forget the enormous value of our strong volunteer base – without them we would not be able to run these Games.”

Dunedin’s Games Office contracts local sporting groups to run their sport on behalf of the Masters Games. This year, the Games Office was able to pay back fees to local sporting bodies totalling $178,854.

Planning and promotion for the 2016 Dunedin Masters Games is well underway.

Cr Bezett says, “We expect to create added interest in our 2016 Games through promoting it as a lead-in event for those thinking of competing in the World Masters Games in April 2017.”

A full report regarding the 2014 New Zealand Masters Games will be presented to the Dunedin City Council’s Community and Environment Committee tomorrow.

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