Smith mourns the loss of WOW show to WLG

"The decision of the World of Wearable Art to relocate its show to Wellington is a body blow for Nelson", says Nelson MP Nick Smith.

"The WOW show pours millions of dollars into our economy each year and the show has put Nelson on the map for cultural tourism. The commitment to Wellington is for five years but we should not give up on bringing WOW home in 2010."

"This negative decision for Nelson is a product of provincial small-mindedness. I have watched in frustration as the councils have grizzled about the small grants made to support WOW each year. Our councils have never fully appreciated the contribution of WOW to our regional economy and the Wellington City Council has completely outmanoeuvred them.

"This decision is a sharp wake-up call for our city. There is aggressive competition for events like WOW amongst cities and we need to change our thinking. We lost the Crusaders Super 12 rugby game through the same sort of small mindedness.

"The only consolation for Nelson is that the WOW museum stays here and that the WOW creative team, including founder Susie Moncrief, will still work and live here," Dr Smith said.

© Scoop Media