200-person indoor limit still not enough for big venues

Wednesday, 23 March 2022

Events can not go ahead at Auckland's Spark Arena until the city shifts to the orange setting. (file photo)

Most Covid-19 restrictions will have gone by early April but indoor venues want clarity on when their events can go ahead.

Entertainment Venues Association of NZ (Evanz) board chairman Mark Gosling said the last time there was an event at Auckland's 12,000-seat Spark Arena was in August last year.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said outdoor gathering limits would be removed and the limit for indoor gatherings would double to 200 under the red traffic light setting.

Gosling said the events industry had not expected there to be any sudden change in alert level but wanted clarity on when bigger indoor events would be possible.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the outdoor gathering limits on events will go from March 26, while indoor limits will increase to 200 people. (Video first published on March 23, 2022)

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“It doesn't really mean anything for the venues as 200 people doesn't really change the economics of shows,' he said.

“More than anything we wanted to know the timeline for moving to orange.'

Entertainment Venues Association of NZ (Evanz) board chairperson Mark Gosling says April 4 will determine if shows will go ahead.

If the country moves to orange – which it could do in early April – then all rules other than masking requirements will be removed.

That would mean there would be no capacity limits on indoor events.

“We are keeping the traffic light framework in order to offer ongoing protections in the event of a new variant or in cases of future surges, but our plan is to move down to orange and then ultimately green, once it is safe to do so,' Ardern said.

The country would review its traffic light setting on April 4, she said.

Gosling said the industry wanted more information on what case or hospital numbers would have to be to move down to orange.

The next planned event at Spark Arena is Jimmy Barnes’ Flesh and Blood Tour on May 7, but a decision on wether or not it would be rescheduled would be made after April's announcement.

“Venues who have shows booked in will want to do them, but we'll have to wait until April 4 to see whether we're in a position.”

Gosling said there was “surprise and gratitude” outdoor stadiums could now operate as normal, especially coming into the Super Rugby season.

“That's huge for them,” he said.