Mighty River Domain hosts junior rowing regatta after forced Covid break

The North Island Junior Rowing Regatta will be held at Lake Karapiro's Mighty River Domain. Photo / Taupo & Turangi Weekender

The Mighty River Domain is back on track as an event location as Waipa District Council announced the venue will be home to the North Island Junior Rowing Regatta after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the council to cancel previous summer events this year.

From February 26 to 27, about 1000 junior rowers, coaches and administrators will take part in the event hosted by Karapiro Rowing.

Mighty River Domain site manager and Waipā District Council deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk said the council was a step closer to bringing sporting, cultural and conferencing back to Waipā.

"We are hoping this event will kickstart our event industry, however with no spectators it will be a soft restart. It has been a difficult time and I know how much our hospitality and accommodation operators are looking forward to welcoming back all our events."

Due to the red traffic light setting, the regatta will be run under the Covid protocols, meaning schools are split into 100-person zones, all participants will need to be fully vaccinated and there is no provision for spectators.

Stolwyk said every person who wishes to enter the venue must show a valid vaccine pass.

"It is very important we follow the guidelines very carefully to ensure we are able to deliver these events for Waipā. I have a great deal of confidence in our event hosts."

She said the year to date had been very discouraging and the long tail of Covid-19 was having a huge impact on the tourism and event industry, even more so than 2020.

"Moving forward from this we are expecting at least two years of recovery. Bringing events and accommodation back up to capacity is yet unknown ..."

However, she said the world-class infrastructure at the domain had placed the district in a strong recovery position while excellent relationships with event hosts, corporates, and clubs made navigation through any changes easier.

"We have been able to build up an experienced team of individuals who can adapt well in many environments so I am confident we hold a unique advantage over other venues. I look forward to a very challenging year and hope the next annual report is able to provide better news."