Action at the last Horse of the Year Show in 2020. Photo / Supplied
Action at the last Horse of the Year Show in 2020. Photo / Supplied
The Horse of the Year Show, which was to have been held at the showgrounds in Hastings on March 8-13, has been cancelled for a second year in a row.
Last year it was scrapped at just a few days' notice, with almost all of the facilities in place.
Its cancellation this year was confirmed in a statement to stakeholders from the organisers on Thursday, saying the show, held in Hastings each year since 2001 and with a contract in place to continue at the showgrounds through to 2027, "cannot proceed in its traditional format".
"Over the past months the team have continuously adapted to the changing Government protocols and since moving to "Red" have spent the last 10 days working through every possible scenario to deliver the show in a different way," the statement said.
"But unfortunately the complexity of Land Rover Horse of the Year has proved too difficult and we sadly announce the very tough decision to cancel for 2022," it continued.
Reflecting the sentiments of event organisers throughout the country, the organisers said: "We are heartbroken to have another year of hard work end in cancellation, and heartbroken to disappoint our competitors, trade partners, sponsors and spectators.
"We know you have all been rooting for us to find a way and we truly appreciate all the support but trying to operate in a 'maybe/could/what if' environment is near on impossible, especially with so many factors to take into consideration."
Factors in the decision include the organisers' duty of care in the safety and health of staff, officials, competitors and any others who would have been able to attend.
Other factors included the social responsibility in ensuring the wellbeing of the Hawke's Bay region and wider New Zealand community, delivery of the show in whether they could produce an event that would be "true to our brand, deliver to our rider needs and requirements and befit the commercial expectations of our trade partners", and the future, longevity and protecting the financial security of the show Land Rover Horse of the Year.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the HOY cancellation for a second year would be felt by many. Photo NZME
All ticket holders will be automatically refunded, and competitors will be refunded in full less an event levy which will be initially retained, although the organisers hope to "revisit" that aspect.
The Horse of the Year Show cancellation follows a string of other major and recent cancellations in the region and is another blow for the rural sector, which has already seen the abandonment of all four A &P shows this summer from Wairoa to Dannevirke.
For the Hawke's Bay A&P Society it became a double blow for the second year running, amid the 2020 downsizing and 2022 cancellation of its annual show in October and some loss of revenue and venue profile and marketing benefits. Actual costs were commercially sensitive, but general manager Sally Jackson said the Horse of the Year Show is one of the society's biggest clients.
The exposure created by the event usually leads to numerous follow-up inquiries about use of the showgrounds for other events she said.
But the HOY trust does contribute to the upkeep of the facilities during the year.
With up to 1800 horses and riders each year and at least double that in supporters, HOY brings thousands of visitors into Hastings each year, with an estimated $5-6million boost to the economy, says mayor Sandra Hazlehurst.
It created a festival city atmosphere across the city, and businesspeople she has spoken with often comment on the atmosphere as visitors make their way into the CBD and other areas during their stay.
She said the cancellation for a second year would be felt by many, but a Mayoral Taskforce, last gathered to work on Covid recovery strategies two years ago, has already been reconvened to look at the future – hopefully a celebration of Covid passing later in the year, in a context similar to that of festivities marking peacetime after the war or celebrating rebuilding after the earthquake.
Other bigger events that have been cancelled were two women's cricket internationals that were to have been played in Napier this week, Rod Stewart's third Mission Concert which was to have been on March 9, and the Black Caps' three-match T20 cricket series against Australia next month.
The five-day Art Deco Festival starting next Wednesday has been compressed to 53 events which can be managed under the red light settings of the Covid-19 Protection Framework. They include eight new events, but major public events such as the parade through the Napier CBD are not being held.
It wasn't all bad news for horse events in Hawke's Bay, with an unexpected day of racing in Hastings – albeit with no public admission.
The Wairarapa Racing Club's richest race meeting of the year, including the $60,000 Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes, was transferred to Hastings after the Waitangi Day weekend's rain meant it was unable to be held on Monday on home-track Tauherenikau, between Greytown and Featherston.
Eight races were being held from the first at 12.10pm to the last at 4.06pm, with the main race at 3.35pm.
Among other events still happening this month are:
February 11-13: Cricket Hawke Cup defence, Hawke's Bay v Bay of Plenty, at Nelson Park, Napier.
