Covid-19 Delta Outbreak: Popular Hāwera event Arts in the Park cancelled

Hawera's popular annual Arts in the Park has been cancelled. Photo/ Supplied

Hāwera's popular annual Arts in the Park has been cancelled.

Tourism and events leader Tarin Hunt says this is the first time in the event's history that it has been cancelled.

"Arts in the Park has been going for more than 20 years and while we've had to postpone it once or twice due to weather, it's never had to be cancelled.

"Unfortunately, with the current alert level restrictions for gatherings and the Government's Protection Framework timeline giving no certainty for events over the coming weeks - we cannot safely proceed with it."

Arts in the Park Hāwera is one of the biggest events on the South Taranaki calendar and normally sees more than 90 stallholders, countless performers and thousands of people wander through King Edward Park over the course of the day.

"Following the cancellation of Elektra and Scale Ship Regatta, we are hopeful that our suite of planned summer events (Eltham's Movies in the Park, Hāwera's Concert in the Park and Ōpunakē's Sounds on the Sand) set to happen at the beginning of 2022 is able to proceed once we get more clarity," says Tarin.