Montana’s reported ‘cancellation’ of its Four Winds Press sponsorship has caused a wee stir and some comment. So we asked Zirk van den Berg, Communications Manager at Allied Domecq, for his take. Zirk says:

Our original contract was for 12 essays. When that period ended, we did a further set of books as a one-off. These are the ones that have just appeared.

The reason we are not continuing with the sponsorship is simply because we do not have an unlimited supply of funds and sometimes have to make difficult decisions as to what we support and what not. As you know, we are heavily involved in sponsorship, for instance the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the Montana World of Wearable Art Awards, not to mention classical music, jazz, theatre, dance, fashion, etc. This commitment to supporting arts and culture in New Zealand is as strong as ever and is set to continue, but obviously we cannot support everything all the time.

We have given Four Winds Press significant support over the last two years, especially in the light of the fact that this sponsorship money came from the budget of one brand, Montana Estates, which is quite small. We are very happy to have been part of the establishment of the essay as viable literary form in New Zealand. It's been a great project to be involved in.

Hopefully, another public-spirited company will pick up the baton to ensure that this excellent series of essays can continue.

PS: When not speaking on behalf of Allied Domecq, van den Berg is busy at the typewriter. As we reported a few months back, he’s the author of Nobody Dies, a critically acclaimed thriller set in South Africa.