The Beach Hop - held in Whangamata, Waihi and Thames - is the latest outdoor event to fall victim to the rules of the new Covid-19 protection framework, after the Tairua-Pauanui New Year's Fireworks display was cancelled.
The Whangamata Beach Hop Rock'n'Roll Festival Committee met on Monday to discuss how Repco Beach Hop 22, scheduled for March 23-27, 2022, can operate and announced "with regret" the postponement until November 23-27, 2022.
"The traffic light system has two options for each colour – red, orange and green. These options are events where the My Vaccine Pass is used for entry, and those events where they are not.
"Under orange or green there are no limits on events where the My Vaccine Pass is used for people to attend. However, if an event is in a public place, where the My Vaccine Pass can not be used, then restrictions apply."
All is not lost though - in March when the Repco Beach Hop is traditionally held, Coastal Rockers' president and committee member Grace Patterson is calling on rock 'n' roll clubs throughout the country not to cancel their bookings.
"We can still hold a dance hop weekend because we can control vaccine-pass people," she said.
"Do not cancel your bookings if you are a dancer. With indoor events we can host a workshop and dance events over the weekend."
Grace was still not sure how the events would play out - or even yet what they would be called - but said rules allowed for certain numbers of people to gather indoors if they had a vaccine pass.
The new Covid traffic light system forced Tairua Pauanui Promotions to cancel the event because it is impossible for organisers to manage the thousands of people who are expected to gather along the foreshore of Tairua harbour on New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks.
The rules state that without a My Vaccine Pass, there can be up to 50 people based on one-metre physical distancing in a single defined space at any time.
They can be a mix of people with and without My Vaccine Pass. The limit applies to both indoor and outdoor venues and includes children. It does not include staff.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the Government had initially taken a cautious approach to gatherings and this was to ensure New Zealanders can stay safe from Covid-19 this summer.
"It means where events are uncontrolled and vaccine passes can't be checked, gathering limits apply. There is scope to review this in the future, but while Covid-19 is likely to spread in the community – especially as people travel – we want to ensure these kinds of events won't make lots of people sick or need to go to hospital," the minister said.
"We know for some people that will be inconvenient, but we have tried to strike the right balance between ensuring Kiwis can have a great summer while making sure they stay safe. It's great to see so many events going ahead with My Vaccine Pass.
"If a street can be closed off or access-controlled and My Vaccine Passes checked, these events can go ahead under orange or green without a gathering limit."
John Hindmarsh, chairman of Tairua Pauanui Promotions, said it was impossible to expect people to restrict themselves into groups of 50 at midnight on New Year's Eve.
"It's questionable what the Government would do. [But] these regulations have been established under a law. You expose yourself to prosecution."
However, he said this was not the main concern of organisers: "We were concerned about doing the right thing in the context of the regulations and traffic light system."
At the last minute, organisers of the Whangamata Santa Parade cancelled the outdoor parade due to the rules, and Santa parades throughout the Hauraki-Coromandel also fell due to the rules.
Organisers are reporting backlash and criticism by the public for the decisions they've had to make.
Noddy said Repco Beach Hop's major sponsors, which include Repco and Ford, were international brands and as organisers they could not risk their reputation if failing to follow the regulations.
