Splore closing is a middle class canary in a cost of living minefield

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
21
832

Splore festival to take 2025 off after posting loss

Splore Festival is taking a break in 2025 after a “challenging” festival season in 2024.

Festival producer Fryderyk Kublikowski says economic considerations were a leading factor in the decision to take a fallow year.

“We found this last Splore in 2024 a fantastic event, really great energy, but we didn’t sell as many tickets as we would’ve liked, so we were affected economically there.

“It looks like it’s going to be a really tough year for festival promoters and, rather than jump in and compete for attention and our community’s hard-earned dollars, we can see that everyone’s going to be doing it tough probably in the next 12 to 18 months, so it feels sort of like the socially responsible thing to do.”

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Kublikowski said the high-content festival in 2024 was not able to break even.

“We suffered a financial loss, but we paid all our performers and suppliers, and we were able to pay our bills in full. Splore’s been going for 25 years, so we’re a real touchstone event. Splore will be stronger for taking a fallow year.”

Splore is as important a middle class icon as full priced Birkenstocks.

It is a bougie drug enhanced family friendly glamping extravaganza for the middle classes and the fact they are taking a year off should send deep shockwaves throughout the rest of the economy because when Splore fails, middle class NZ is dying.

Splore closing for a year is a middle class canary in a cost of living minefield for the wider NZ Economy.

55% of mortgages come off low interest rates to very high interest rates this year with many home buyers now having to find thousands extra in mortgage payments.

Splore is a disposable cash festival, if they are knocked out it is a signal that there is far deeper damage within the middle class economy occurring and we can see that anecdotal evidence in hospitality and retail right now.

I don’t think we appreciate how suddenly the economic tides have turned and that in combination with an Austerity Government, we face a lot of social carnage.

 

 

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21 COMMENTS

  1. Many of our brightest are flocking overseas because of this government as evidenced by Statistics NZ. For every one returning kiwi we lose 3. Immigration numbers tell us that Indians , Philippine’s and Chinese are arriving en masse, not because of NZ incomes but for the life style.
    Generations of kiwis are departing because we have a government determined to fracture our society. Without doubt these are dangerous times and with people like Brian Tamaki spewing his vile and David Seymour’s Americanization of N.Z. we as a society are heading for seriously troubled times.

    • I stopped seeing New Zealand as a viable place to live and raise children 20 years ago. I go back for family rituals but not to holiday. I may retire back to New Zealand. But as far as New Zealand being screwed up it really doesn’t bother me any more. The mountains, rivers and seas will still be there so i really don’t care if you all can’t get your shit together.

    • National are the toepuddle turnarounds and Labour is the wild child from generation 3 – 1st makes it, 2nd peacocks it, 3rd splashes out blithely because daddy will pay.

    • Corrupt gnat. Understatement. We are experiencing a breakdown of society. Those unable to flock off and having to rent, face terrible uncertainties, especially families with children. Just imagine signing a lease, and playing it right, while knowing that the Chris’s landlord friends can turf you out again for no good reason. The parents who named those two ratbags after the Christ-bearer, must have been more deluded than most.

  2. There must be some factors that can be itemised and measured to establish how much money needs to be moving around the community to keep it afloat and once below that it is downward all the way. Perhaps our Finance Minister does need to have some knowledge of human mercantile dealings as well as macro plus microeconomics, and how the multiplier works.

    Also is there a ‘miserableness test’ that means that people are too afraid to spend money other than on something that will make them blotto for a while. Personal disestablishment is not going to help refloat the boat. Titanic here we come but what do the good ‘ol Gnats care. I met one recently who is true blue with objective interest at the odd citizens around him, so different. He was too polite to think like this, but an impression came.
    And he’s up there, what’s that?
    Hawaiian noises?
    Bangin’ on the bongos like a chimpanzee
    That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it
    Get your money for nothin’, get your chicks for free
    https://genius.com/Dire-straits-money-for-nothing-lyrics

  3. Well, if it affects the middle class then it’s going to be a one term government doesn’t it?

Comments are closed.