Blossom Festival

Contact Energy remains principal sponsor of the Alexandra Blossom Festival for the third successive year, but the level of its funding is confidential.

The Alexandra Blossom Festival committee has confirmed it has no immediate plans to take legal action against the 2009 festival event manager, but has stopped short of ruling out the option.

The people of Alexandra certainly need to make their views heard at Wednesday's public meeting to discuss the future of the blossom festival, since the festival is inextricably linked with them, their town, the industry with which the area is associated in the minds of most New Zealanders, and the celebration of the arrival of spring in Central Otago.

A trust account set up a decade ago as a "rainy day fund" for the Alexandra Blossom Festival cannot be used to pay off the debts incurred by the 2009 festival.

Alexandra's Daphne Hull, who served for seven years as Blossom Festival chairwoman, says she would be devastated if the festival folded and has urged the Vincent Community Board to come to the rescue.

The 2009 Blossom Festival chairman, Steve Battrick, has declined to debate the festival's financial woes through the media but says he is happy to discuss the matter "one on one" with anyone.