Events and Festivals Sponsorship Fund

Before you apply for Events and Festivals Sponsorship Funding(external link) from the Christchurch City Council, please make sure you read the guidelines to ensure you are eligible.

All applications received will be reviewed after the submission period has ended. They are then submitted to the Council Committee meeting and Council for consideration and decision-making.

Disclosure of interest

All applicants must disclose if a Christchurch City Councillor or local board member or a Council employee, or their immediate family, has any interest or involvement in the event in any way. 

Any Councillor or local board member involved can be present at any meeting where event sponsorship or funding is considered. However, they may not partake in the decision process.

Supporting documents

Please make sure your application form is supported by the following documents:

Event budget
A full and detailed budget outlining all event expenses and income is an essential part of the application for funding. Budget information should be based on quotes from suppliers you intend to use. Multi-year applications need to supply an event budget for each year you are applying for funding. Ensure you include all the relevant regulatory costs involved in your event, such as resource consent fees, costs for the preparation of traffic management plans by an approved contractor, building consents etc. Please note that the Council will not fund some event-related costs – refer to Ineligibility criteria.

Business Plan
For all multi-year applications, a business plan must be included detailing who you are, what you are offering and where you plan to go with the event.  A business plan for events should include an executive summary outlining your event concept, target market, key objectives, and financial projections, followed by detailed sections covering your company overview, market analysis, service offerings, marketing strategy, operational plan, and comprehensive financial plan, all tailored to the specific event type you are planning to host.

Bank deposit slip or proof of organisation bank account number
The bank account name must be the same as the organisation name. If you are successful, your funding will be deposited into this account.

Successful applicants

Should your application for funding be successful, the following further documents will be required to facilitate your event through the Council. A meeting with the appropriate staff member will be required to initiate the process and ongoing meetings throughout the time frame of receiving the funding.

Please note that express approval must be sought from the Council for the use of any Christchurch City Council’s logos.

If you intend on using any outdoor public open space managed by Christchurch City Council you need to submit an event permit application form. A minimum of 6 weeks’ notice will be required to process an application. Fees may be applicable for an event permit regardless of the outcome of this application. 

Submitting the application form does not constitute an event permit. You must continue to work with the Event Partnerships and Development Team to submit the necessary documentation required to obtain an event permit.

Event permits ensure public safety and amenity in public spaces and assist in the sustainable management of our parks and gardens. For further information, go to the ‘Running an Event’ page on the Christchurch City Council website.

To apply for an event permit, submit an online event permit application form(external link) and indicate that you are applying to the Events and Festivals Sponsorship Fund.

Agreement

• Successful applicants will be required to enter into a written sponsorship agreement with Christchurch City Council which includes terms and conditions and event-specific objectives.
• The maximum term of each agreement is three years. If applying for a multi-year partnership, the application should present a compelling rationale as to how this will support the event’s strategic direction.
• The funding decision made by the Council is final and is contingent upon the delivery of the event programming outlined within the application submitted. In the event there are significant changes to the event scope and programming, the funding amount may be reviewed.

You will be allocated an Events Partnership Adviser who will begin discussions with you prior to the event.

To be eligible to apply

To apply for Events and Festivals Sponsorship funding, both the event and the event organiser must meet all of the following requirements.

Event location and scale:

• The event must take place within Christchurch City Council boundaries.
• The event must be a public event.
• The event must be able to demonstrate a minimum anticipated attendance of 1,000 people, including participants, spectators, performers, and/or competitors. Attendance must be based on realistic forecasting, registrations, ticket sales, or previous event data.

Event timing and format:

• The event must have clear start and finish dates.
• The event must be a single event, not a programme or series of multiple events.
• The event must not have already taken place before 1 July of the year the application is made.
• The event must be delivered within the timeframe stated in the application.

Organisation requirements:

• The organisation responsible for the event must be a legal entity, such as:
  • a trust
  • a company
  • an incorporated society
• The organisation must not have any outstanding debt owing to Christchurch City Council or any Council‑controlled organisation.
• If the application is successful, the organiser must sign a sponsorship agreement and comply with the Council’s terms and conditions.

Disclosure and compliance:

• The organiser must fully declare all other funding related to the event, including:
  • Christchurch City Council funding
  • local board funding
  • Council‑controlled organisation funding
  • grants, koha, or donations
• The organiser must comply with all Council regulatory and legal requirements, including:
  • obtaining all required permits and consents
  • meeting all required timeframes

Insurance:

• All events receiving funding must hold current public liability insurance that covers:
  • the proposed activity
  • the location where the event will be held

Sporting events (if applicable):

• If the application is for a sporting event, the event must be officially recognised by the relevant national governing body for that sport.

Ineligible events

The following events are not eligible for Events and Festivals Sponsorship funding:

Event type:

• Private or invitation‑only events, including private functions, corporate lunches, or dinners.
• Religious, political, or advocacy‑focused events, where the main purpose is to promote religious beliefs, political positions, or social activism.
• Industry or business‑focused events, including conferences, conventions, trade shows, expos, or networking events.
• Commercial, promotional, or PR‑driven events, such as product launches, brand activations, exhibitions, or award ceremonies primarily designed to market a product, service, or organisation.
• Workshop‑based programmes, education initiatives, or facilitated training activities that are not delivered as a public event or festival.

Frequency and timing:

• Regularly recurring events, including monthly or frequent markets, pre‑season or warm‑up fixtures, or regular‑season sports games.
• Events that have already been held.
• Biennial events, except in the year the event is being held.

Safety and funding:

• Events that may harm public safety or wellbeing, pose a significant risk to the public or Council, or promote divisive or exclusionary content.
• Events that have applied for or received other Christchurch City Council or ChristchurchNZ funding for the same operational costs.

Ineligible costs

The Events and Festivals Sponsorship Fund cannot be used to pay for the following costs:

General operating and capital costs:

• Capital expenses, including infrastructure, venue construction, or equipment purchases.
• Office rent or accommodation.
• Utilities and maintenance, including power, phone, internet, or servicing fees.
• Website design or ongoing website operating costs.
• Stock purchases or investment activities.

Staffing and performance costs:

• Salaries or wages, including staff, contractors, or event organisers.
• Artist, performer, or appearance fees.

Legal, financial and insurance costs:

• Legal expenses, including mediation, tribunal matters, ACC claims, or court proceedings.
• Fines or penalties, including IRD penalties or retrospective tax payments.
• Loan repayments, refinancing, or debt servicing.
• Insurance premiums or the purchase of insurance policies.

Travel and transport:

• Travel costs, including flights, accommodation, or transport allowances.
• Vehicle purchases.
• Vehicle operating costs, including maintenance, repairs, or road user charges.

Other ineligible costs:

• Alcohol purchases.
• Medical expenses.
• Prize money or entry fees.
• Funds intended to be passed on to others, including grants, sponsorships, donations, or aid funding.

Retrospective and non‑compliant events

Funding will not be provided for:

• Costs that have already been incurred.
• Event‑related losses.
• Events that have breached previous Council funding agreements, including post‑event reporting obligations, unless a clear commitment has been made to resolve the issue.

Eligible applications are prioritised for support from the contestable Events and Festivals Fund based on criteria. The support provided by the Council is based upon the assessed benefits of the event on the city as a whole.

A balanced calendar of events

• The event is during the seasonal low points such as Autumn and Winter.
• Is unique to other events in the City.
• Fills an identified gap or priority such as:
  • Profiles Christchurch and its diverse venues and open spaces.
  • Is not directly duplicating a similar event or parts thereof in the city.

Positive community benefits

• Brings people together to share memorable experiences
• Provides an opportunity for participation in recreation and sports activities.
• Encouraging local talent to emerge and thrive.
• Cultural expression and engaging with the current and new diverse communities.
• How events can work together to share resources.
• Capability building of community organisations.

Amount of community support, involvement and/or active partnerships in the event

• Through partnerships grow and strengthen networks and opportunities to share kaupapa Māori.
• Commercial sponsors.
• Associated community, city or national organisations.
• Volunteers.
• Non-government organisations.
• Charitable trusts.

Economic impact

• Stimulates economic activity.
• Leverages opportunities for local businesses/hospitality industry/suppliers.
• Attracts visitors to the City and boosts the economy.
• For an existing event, how effectively the event has been run in the past.

Other considerations

In addition to the above criteria, the following will be considered:

• The anticipated level of attendance including volunteer support, performers and/or competitors.
• The potential of the event to grow.
• How accessible the event is proposed to be:
  • Universally accessible.
  • Transport accessibility.
  • Cost and affordability relative to the target market.
  • Open to anyone who wishes to attend and not constrained to a particular sector of the community – is successfully marketed through appropriate channels.
• Whether the event is held once a year or biennial with a sound strategic plan for its development.
• The degree to which the event is financially sustainable:
  • The overall cost of the event relative to the scale and benefits of the event.
  • The proportion of funding contributed by the organisation.
  • The ability to attract/leverage other funders and sponsors.
  • The length of time the event has been run and its dependence on public funds.
  • Volunteer contribution, capacity and capability.
  • How any profits generated by the event are distributed.
  • Working towards a strategy for the event to become more financially sustainable including retaining profits from previous events to underwrite the next event.
• The degree to which the event uses sustainable practices:
  • Transport planning.
  • Sound environmental operations and works to promote green initiatives.
  • Participation in the Council’s Composting Food Packaging at Events trial.
  • Respects the environment and promotes protection of key assets.
• Whether the event is in the appropriate venue for its scale and type and promotes new and existing spaces in the city.
• The extent to which the event adds to any cumulative impacts on the city, businesses and local communities, relates to its timing and location relative to other events in the calendar.

• The Events and Festivals Fund is capped. The Council is not obliged to grant all of its fund in any year, nor to carry over unallocated amounts to future years.
• Christchurch City Council has the right to share application details within all units of Council and to consult with them on applications.
• The Events and Festivals Sponsorship Fund is limited to events and will not be applicable to conventions, conferences, trade shows and exhibitions.
• The applicant should detail in their application any actual or potential conflict of interest (including anything which might have the appearance of a conflict of interest) which could compromise the decision on the application or bring the process into disrepute.
• All applicants must disclose to Christchurch City Council any other central government or local government funding sources for the event (either confirmed or in process), as well as any corporate or commercial sponsorship arrangements.
• Applicants must not directly or indirectly seek to influence Christchurch City Council’s funding decisions in any improper or unethical manner (or in any way which might have the appearance of being so), nor attempt to solicit or garner non-public information from Christchurch City Council which might give an unfair advantage in the application process.
• Each applicant warrants that all information provided in relation to its application is true and correct in all material particulars, at all times, and is not misleading whether by omission or otherwise. Each applicant must disclose all matters likely to be material to Christchurch City Council’s consideration of its application or which might have a bearing on the outcomes the council expects to be delivered from the funding.
• If circumstances or information changes after making an application, or after the council awards funding, the applicant must immediately notify Christchurch City Council.
• Each applicant consents to Christchurch City Council carrying out due diligence on its application, including the organisations and personnel involved, and relevant track records. The applicant consents to Christchurch City Council making due enquiries from third parties in this regard, and shall provide access to referees upon request.

Within six weeks of the conclusion of the event, all sponsored events are required to submit a post-event report via the Smartygrants portal which reports on the following:

• How event objectives outlined in the funding agreement have been achieved.
• Proof of delivery/success of the event for all measures stated in the application form.
• An event evaluation by organisers, including feedback from event attendees – this might include areas for event development or specific issues encountered at the event.
• A detailed outline of all marketing and promotional achievements such as listing and including copies of newspaper ads or articles, the approximate number of radio and television ads, copies of all promotional material produced, website statistics, and all other marketing material and achievements.
• Audited attendance figures, spectators and event participants, including an outline of the methodology used and a breakdown of confirmed figures and estimated totals.
• Inventory of employment opportunities provided, a list of full and part-time positions, as well as staff hired for the implementation of the event.
• Provide information on the amount of waste removed from the event and the waste streams it was entered into, landfill, recycling, and organics. When skips are used the organiser must provide the specific weights of the skips, information can be accessed from your waste management provider, otherwise, the number of wheelie bins used for each waste stream.

Supporting documents to be submitted alongside the post-event report

• Full post-event budget showing actual and confirmed costs.
• Copies of receipts showing the expenditure of the Council funding or audited accounts.
• For events with over 1000 attendees, provide a waste management and minimisation plan as per requirements in the Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw 2023.

If a sponsored event fails to submit an adequate post-event report to the satisfaction of Christchurch City Council or fails to deliver each of the event-specific objectives outlined within the sponsorship agreement, then it is at the discretion of the Council as to whether the full sponsorship amount will be paid.

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