The success of Dunedin’s annual Beerfest inspired OUSA to organise a similar event this year in Auckland, despite the potential danger of another lockdown.
The festival is planned for March 27 in the Spark Arena (formerly Vector Arena). With one ticket option you get “preferential access to tickets next year,” implying that this will be a recurring thing. Sorry if you can’t make the trip.
Dunedin’s Beerfest funds student services across campus. By hosting an event in Auckland, OUSA CEO Debbie Downs hoped to honour students’ wishes of becoming “more financially independent.”
Money siphoned out of Auckland’s pockets would be spent improving your student experience, easing OUSA’s reliance on their Service Level Agreement with the University, which has been a “clear mandate” of students and consecutive student execs, according to Debbie.
Though OUSA has partnered with Auckland-based Live Nation to host this event, OUSA is not mentioned on the event’s website. Instead, the event is “brought to you by the team behind the Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival.” Hey, that’s us!
OUSA was not able to clarify before publication of this article if the idea to host this event came pre- or post-Covid. “If the idea came post-Covid,” said student Tajsha, “that would have totally different implications.” With such a large investment in a major event, a good turnout is undoubtedly required to make a profit.
“While Auckland may not seem like the ideal city to hold events at this current time, events nationally continue to be planned and produced,” Debbie said. She said that OUSA is planning contingencies and has potential postponement dates, should Covid cause trouble with the event’s planned date.