Wellington City Council pays $3.6 million to cover COVID-19 cancellation of art event

Wellington City Council has paid out $3.6 million to the World of WearableArt (WOW) event which was forced to cancel for a second successive year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

With the event having been estimated to have boosted the local economy by $27.9 million when it was last held in 2019, earlier this year the Council agreed to underwrite the event, which had been scheduled to run from 30th September to 17th October.

The Council’s backing was part of an understanding to keep the show in Wellington for five more years.

However, with COVID-19 restrictions forcing the cancellation of the event, the Council has paid the $3.6 million to the organisers.

As reported by news website Stuff, the Council and WOW organisers had previously declined to release the figure, but said it would come in significantly short of the $5 million ‘worst-case scenario’ the Council unanimously agreed to underwrite the event for in February.

Commenting on the payout, Wellington Mayor, Andy Foster told Stuff that not paying out the sume would have meant other events would have been lost “with all the impacts that would have on our arts and culture status and employment of artists and those providing essential support.

“Most of the money has gone to those people - artists, performers, technicians, choreographers etc, and a sizeable proportion of it will I am advised provide value for WOW 2022.”

World of WearableArt Limited, the company behind the show is owned by Dame Suzy Moncrieff and her sister, Heather Palmer.