Challenging times for Southland event organisers

Friday, 29 October 2021

Southland Christmas Parade event manager Alice Pottinger sits beside one of the parade floats in Invercargill on Friday. She says planning is continuing for a parade of some description in the city on November 27, despite uncertainties with Covid-19 restrictions.

The cancellation of the Burt Munro Challenge will likely cost Southland’s economy more than $1 million, its committee chairman Craig Hyde says.

Businesses, especially restaurants and accommodation operators, have missed out on custom from people who would have travelled from outside the province to attend the five-day event in February.

Organisers of the event announced it would not go ahead next year.

Hyde thought about 5500 to 6000 people attended each year.

“It’ll have a huge impact on the economy,” he said.

* Burt Munro Challenge 2022 event cancelled because of Covid-19 pandemic

* Some South Canterbury Christmas parades cancelled because of Covid-19

High view of the Southern Field Days in 2020. Meetings are being held to see if next year’s event will proceed.

The decision to cancel was because of the Covid-19 pandemic and uncertainty around the new Covid-19 protection framework.

Some community groups are affected financially with the event not being held. The groups are paid to work at the event in various roles, such as gatemen.

“That’s their paid fundraising for the year … it’s a huge impact for these community groups,” Hyde said.

“We needed certainty [that it would be held]. We can’t get to two or three weeks before the event and then cancel it, we can’t afford that.”

The committee of the Southern Field Days at Waimumu in February are having meetings on whether their event will proceed.

President Warren Ross said: “We’re still in discussions … we’re getting close to making a decision.”

Meanwhile, the Gore and Te Anau Santa Parades were cancelled on Friday.

The Gore District Council pulled the pin on its parade on December 12 because of uncertainty with the pandemic.

The council’s events co-ordinator Jessica Swan said Covid-19 restrictions regarding social gatherings, coupled with the complexity and size of the Santa Parade, would have led to an unrecognisable event that only a few could attend.

Te Anau’s parade was to be held on December 11. The Fun in the Park event, to be held in the town the same day, has also been cancelled.

Chairperson of the committee that organises parade Anna Thomas is disappointed the event can’t go ahead.

“Bringing a large group together at the moment, based on current rules, we can’t safely do that,” she said.

“With a street situation, it’s very hard to ensure compliance with [Covid-19] restrictions.”

Alice Pottinger is determined to arrange some type of Christmas parade through the streets of Invercargill on November 27, if the standard format can’t be held under Covid-19 regulations.

Pottinger is the parade’s event manager.

“We’ll make a decision next week on what form [of parade] it will be. [At this stage] we’re planning the parade just as usual.”

Riverton’s Christmas Parade on December 24 is still on.

Its convenor Raewyn Black said: “We will work within the Government’s regulations, whatever they are at the time.

“At this stage we’re planning on it going ahead.”

The Southland Racing Club is continuing to prepare for its big Christmas race day on December 11.

President Sean Bellew believed by December 11 it will be a Government requirement that everyone attending major events, like SRC’s Christmas meeting, must be double vaccinated.

“We’re anticipating it will happen, if not, we will adapt,” he said.

“We will comply with what the Government requires at the time.”