Auckland Millennium Celebrations Get Lottery Fundi

Media Release
Hon Jack Elder
Minister of Internal Affairs

16 July 1999

AUCKLAND MILLENNIUM CELEBRATIONS
GET LOTTERY FUNDING

The Lottery Grants Board has given the Auckland City Council
grants totalling $800,000 toward its Millennium celebrations,
Internal Affairs Minister and Grants Board Chairperson Jack Elder
announced today.

Auckland City has three major community events planned for the
New Year's Eve/New Year's Day period, he said.

The first of these, `This Is It`, a multi media extravaganza
to be held in the Auckland Domain on New Year's Eve, attracted
the largest grant of $500,000.
'This is possibly the largest free event ever staged in this
country and will have an enormous cast with professional performers
featuring alongside cultural and community groups,' Mr Elder
said. 'About 300,000 people are expected to attend and thousands
more will be able to see it on television because it is a major
focus of TV3's Millennium broadcast .'(TV3 is the Government's
official Millennium Host Broadcaster).

A $100,000 Lottery grant will also help fund the `This Is It`
climax, a cacophony of fireworks, which will then spread out
into the harbour and ultimately include the Sky Tower, Harbour
Bridge and barges around Rangitoto, he said.

The final key element of Auckland's millennium celebration, a
dawn ceremony in the Okahu Domain, received a $200,000 Lottery
grant.

Ngati Whatua, representatives of Tangata Whenua and Pacific Island
communities are helping organise the ceremony which will include
a regatta, waka ceremony and a 2000 strong haka party from throughout
Auckland, Mr Elder said.

ENDS

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