January 27 2022
PM Jacinda Ardern said that although Omicron could be a milder illness for some people, the Government was expecting many more cases and that would put pressure on the health system.
Further local events have been postponed due to the Government putting New Zealand into the red light setting.
Organisers of the Rotorua Off Road Trail Run/Walk and Traffic Management NZ Taupo Great Lake Relay on Thursday announced the events would be moved to later in the year.
The Rotorua OffRoad Trail Run/Walk set to take place on February 27 will now be on November 20. The Taupo Great Lake Relay set for March 19 will now be on October 15.
Event Promotions, which runs each event, said: "We discussed all options with our event partners and sponsors to try and make the event work under the Red setting.
"However, as event organisers, our team at Event Promotions know that due to the size, scale and nature of the event, it is not socially responsible to go ahead with the event at this time.
"This was another heartbreaking decision for our team and those we work with to make, as we all wanted to hit the ground running in 2022 and offer up amazing events for our competitors. Ultimately, the health and safety of our competitors, support staff, staff, volunteers, contractors, host city communities and the entire country are our No. 1 priority.
"We have secured postponement dates for both events and all currently registered competitors will be automatically transferred to the new date so you do not need to do anything."
The Tarawera Ultramarathon scheduled to be held in two weeks has been cancelled, as has the New Zealand Motocross Championships.
It follows the country moving into the red Covid-19 Protection Framework following the Omicron community outbreak.
Ironman Oceania regional director Amy MacCormack said she and the team were disappointed the ultramarathon event couldn't take place.
She said they worked hard to find options to make the event work under the red setting on the scheduled date of February 12.
"However, due to the size, scale and nature of the event, along with the limited time, the only feasible and socially responsible option is to cancel the event," she said.
"This was an incredibly hard decision for our team to make, but ultimately the safety and health of our runners, support crews, staff, volunteers and the local community in Rotorua and Kawerau are our No.1 priority."
She thanked all those involved for their continued support of the event, which would return in February next year.
All registered athletes for the 2022 Tarawera Ultramarathon will be contacted by event organisers about options regarding their entry.
Motorcycling New Zealand announced this year's New Zealand Motocross Championships would also not go ahead due to the pandemic.
Rotorua, Balclutha and Napier had been scheduled as host venues for the series' three rounds this year.
Monday's decision to call the championships off followed the cancellation of other motocross events that would usually provide pre-nationals build-up.
Motorcycling New Zealand said its representatives held lengthy conversations with many parties involved in this series.
It said while difficulties were being experienced and spoken of by all parties leading up to the proposed event dates, the shift to red and the extra regulations that come with this, made many areas of delivery for these events untenable.
Motorcycling New Zealand general manager Mike Kerrisk said it was an unfortunate decision to have to make.
"To have the necessary manpower on the ground to keep groups of people distanced and compliant is virtually impossible. The host clubs were also uncertain about how they could operate with certainty and, considering all those factors, the financial loss to our organisation would have been significant."
He said the pandemic and restrictions had impacted sponsors and the level of support they could provide.
