Wildfoods looks to new beer

Hokitika Wildfoods Festival patrons will be quaffing a new beer in 2011, with the Westland District Council today turning its back on the struggling Buller-based West Coast Brewing Company.
Brewery owner Paddy Sweeney and the council-owned Westland Business Unit, which now runs the festival, are in a public spat over the lucrative beer contract, with Mr Sweeney yesterday threatening to sue and not renew his contract for the next three years.
However, business unit chairman Jeff Dalley revealed today that the brewery had advised two weeks ago that it would not seek renewal. He today thanked the brewing company, saying its unique character would be “missed”.
General manager Sonya Matthews said the contract was due to expire on September 30, “and we have opened discussions with other parties as a matter of good business sense”.
Mr Sweeney, a former Coaster, yesterday threatened legal action to seek damages of $1 million, claiming his company has been ignored.
Despite sinking $500,000 into festival sponsorship and brewery purchases over the past three years, he had been unable to get a response from the business unit.
Westland Mayor Maureen Pugh said the unit wrote to Mr Sweeney and asked for standard information — including financial details — to ensure he had met all the conditions of his contract.
He responded two weeks ago by saying he would not be renewing the contract.
Speaking from his home in Australia, Mr Sweeney today confirmed that, but said the letter carried the rider “however, I will leave the door open for negotiation”.
He claimed that made the statement “conditional”.
“They (the council) are swinging on a convenience.”
Mrs Pugh said she had received a letter asking her to mediate between the brewery and the business unit but felt there was little point as Mr Sweeney had already said he would not renew his contract.
Asked if festival-goers were happy with the beer, she said the council “always got feedback on every aspect of the festival” but she could not comment further.
However, she denied Mr Sweeney’s suggestion yesterday that there was any move to make Wildfoods alcohol-free — “it has never been a tea party”.
“The issue doesn’t threaten the festival at all, it will simply adjust to the situation. If the (Sweeney) contract is renewed, that’s how they’ll proceed.”
West Coast Brewing wrested the beer sponsorship contract off Monteith’s three years ago after more than a decade.
Mr Sweeney claimed the council had made it clear it wanted out of the contract because of negative publicity about the financial state of the brewing company.
“Our door remains open,” he said.
“The last thing we want to do is serve a writ for $1m, when a bit of common courtesy may prove to be a much cheaper option for all.”