Covid 19 coronavirus: Aucklanders heading to Queenstown for tech conference

A conference being held in Queenstown this week includes at least one Aucklander as a guest, despite Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's call for people from the city to avoid mass gatherings.

It comes amid concern of Covid-19 spreading from Auckland, and with memories fresh of a significant cluster — linked to 39 cases — emerging from the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown in March.

The Morgo conference is being held at the Heritage Hotel on Thursday and Friday.

Attendees have been invited for networking drinks and dinner tomorrow evening.

Passengers from Auckland arrive at Queenstown airport this week after travel restrictions were lifted. Photo / James Allan

A visitor from Auckland spoken to by the Otago Daily Times at Queenstown Airport yesterday was planning to attend the event.

He said the conference was aimed at tech companies working to expand offshore.

Of the more than 15 speakers listed for the event, many are from Auckland, but it was unclear whether they were still attending.

Efforts to contact the organiser of the conference were unsuccessful yesterday, but according to posts on social media, the sold-out event is being limited to 100 people to meet alert level 2 restrictions.

"We're so pleased #MorgoQueenstown is going ahead next week, masks and all," a post from the conference on Twitter said.

We’re so pleased #MorgoQueenstown is going ahead next week, masks and all. 😷
And... This retreat is now full!!
If you would still like to come, please email Jenny or DM us and we’ll let you know if a place comes available.https://t.co/wKhr8ZGDMj

— MORGO (@morgocommunity) August 29, 2020

The website says: "Morgo Speaker's [sic] don't just fly in and fly out — They stay and connect with the Morgo Community!"

Having Aucklanders attending the conference appears to directly contravene Ardern's plea on Sunday calling for people from the city to avoid mass gatherings.

One of the many popular attractions in Queenstown, the TSS Earnslaw on Lake Wakatipu. Photo / Mike Scott

"Please don't attend a mass gathering, even if it is not in Auckland," she said.

In Auckland, under alert level 2.5, gatherings are limited to 10 people.

Among the partners listed for the conference are the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

A Southern District Health Board spokeswoman said it was looking at the Morgo conference situation, but could not comment further about the situation last night.

The visitor attending the conference was one of several Aucklanders arriving into Queenstown yesterday — a total of six Air New Zealand flights landed from the city throughout the day.

The reception area at the Heritage Queenstown Hotel. Photo / Supplied, file

Air New Zealand would not comment on load numbers.

Aucklander Leigh Osborne was on one of them and said she was heading to Wanaka with her two children.

She was relieved to have booked a flight the day after the end of Auckland's level 3 restrictions.

"We made it by the skin of our teeth.

"Some people were a bit tense about being on a plane, I think, but we were pretty relaxed.

"We were dying to get away.

"Just arriving here and seeing people without masks, it was quite nice."

Michael Jackson, also from Auckland, visiting Queenstown for the first time, was holidaying for three days with his wife.

"We just scraped in ... pretty lucky."