• Venue can't seek funding for tournament - Gent
Geddes told the Otago Daily Times it would be "most unfortunate if New Zealand Golf put the availability of money for the New Zealand Open ahead of being able to stage it on a course that clearly enhances the nature of the championships and the game of golf itself".
It is the first time Geddes has commented publicly on mounting speculation the Open, which has been held at Michael Hill's private golf course near Arrowtown since 2007, will be moved to Christchurch's Clearwater course.
A public announcement on the future of the Open is expected at the end of this month.
However, Geddes said even if the council were asked for money to help secure the event for another five years, it had no mechanism by which to provide it.
"We focus our expertise into supporting infrastructure.
"We will help where we can around consents and traffic plans and those sorts of things."
Geddes said this year's annual plan included funding to investigate the feasibility of setting up an independent organisation to handle events.
"That comes back to our principle: to do infrastructure."
If there were approaches by any party to the council seeking funding for the Open, it would require a full council decision "and that would require the full council to take a major step away from its past policy of not directly funding any events, large or small".
In 2006, Geddes said he was approached by New Zealand Golf asking for money, before the announcement The Hills would be hosting the Open for three years.
"We were asked two times and very politely declined to contribute money.
"What was said to me by New Zealand Golf was, at the time, the Christchurch City Council was prepared to support the tournament as had other city councils in the tournament's history, [by] hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"My comment to them at that time was that this council had no policy for directly funding events."
Mayoral candidate John S.
Wilson, of Wanaka, said the council was "willing and supportive and committed" to help keep the Open "in whatever way we can", but had no policy to support any funding.
"We should make better endorsements to support Michael and The Hills on what they're doing, but we just don't have a policy and we don't have a mechanism to be able to go out and rate them specifically for a one-off event.
"It's a shame that we have dawdled on the [policy] ..."
Cr Vanessa van Uden, another mayoral aspirant, said there was no doubt hosting the Open in the Wakatipu had been of "massive benefit" to the community and it would be "a great pity" to lose it.
"It would be sad for the community and we should be grateful to Michael Hill for getting it here in the first place and being prepared to fight for it."
Cr van Uden said the council had come to a "critical point" when it came to funding of events.
"These big events ... when they go looking for funding, there is an expectation there will be something coming from the council.
"It is something we need to look at.
"At this point, there is no funding in the annual plan [for the New Zealand Open].
"But my gut is that we would probably consider it. It would be a significant decision ...
"I don't believe it's impossible."
