Hawke's Bay wine auction raising funds for Cranford Hospice put off til November

Elisha Milmine, general manager of Hawke's Bay Wine Auction, says it's the right decision to make. Photo / File

The 29th annual Hawke's Bay Wine Auction, supporting Cranford Hospice, has been rescheduled.

Hawke's Bay Wine Auction general manager Elisha Milmine said 2020 had been an extremely challenging year.

"As we continue to grapple with Covid-19, and the New Zealand alert level restrictions, there is still uncertainty about what these will be on 19th September for the scheduled Hawke's Bay Wine Auction.

"We have given this a lot of thought and have decided the best path forward is to postpone this year's event.

"The new date is set for Saturday, 28th November, same place, format and timings."

"We recognise that a rescheduled event is disappointing, but we look forward to providing guests with an exceptional experience in November."

As the largest annual contributor to Cranford Hospice, Hawke's Bay Wine Auction's committee is determined to make the event the best it possibly can be to raise the much-needed funds.

Milmine said they were grateful for the understanding and support of everyone involved.

The event industry has been hit hard by the lockdowns which have been a result of this pandemic.

Over 20,000 New Zealand events have been cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19.

The committee was left with no choice but to cancel the Pre-Tasting event which was scheduled for August 19th as the country was put into alert level 2 with a cap of 100 maximum guests at events.

The sell-out event was lined up to be celebration of the amazing wines available at this year's Wine Auction.

A small number of event tickets are still on sale and absentee bidding is also available.

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