No show: First time in 80 years
The historic Hawke’s Bay A&P show has become the latest victim of Covid.
The Hawke’s Bay A&P Show has been cancelled just four weeks out from the big annual event that has been the great gathering of the region’s rural and urban communities for almost 160 years.
The show was set to have been held at the showgrounds in Hastings on October 20-22. The cancellation follows decisions yesterday to cancel the Poverty Bay A&P Show, which was to be held on October 15-16, the previous week, and the Wairarapa A&P Show scheduled for October 29-30.
The Central Hawke’s Bay A&P Society is still planning to go ahead with its show in Waipukurau on November 12-13, although president David Poulton doubts if it can go ahead amid the Delta level 2 restrictions that have led to the other cancellations.
Calling off the Hawke’s Bay Show, which had doubled as the New Zealand Royal Show from 2015 to 2020, was confirmed today by Hawke’s Bay A&P Society president Simon Collin and general manager Sally Jackson.
In normal circumstances it could have attracted over 25,000 people, but the society says the continued Delta alert level 2 conditions meant that with safety the primary consideration a decision had to be made. This avoided financial losses which would have affected the society and all its stakeholders had the decision been delayed.
Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay were among the few earlyseason A&P shows that did not cancel last year.
As one of the largest A&P shows in the country, the Hawke’s Bay society executive committee met on Tuesday night and after “significant consideration made the hard decision to cancel”, said the president.
The organisation had no choice in the matter, he said.
“While the country is in differing levels of restrictions, and with Covid cases still appearing throughout the country, we cannot put anyone at risk by hosting a large gathering.
“We had to think of the wellbeing of our community and the society. While we are incredibly disappointed, we know it is the right thing to do in the current environment,” he said.
Jackson said the show, in its 158th year, had only previously been cancelled during the Second World War. She, along with all the volunteers, staff and key stakeholders, were “extremely sad and disappointed not to be able to deliver this much-loved event”.
“We know the show resonates with the wider community of Hawke’s Bay,” she said.
“It has a significant impact on the primary sector and the regional economy, drawing hundreds of visitors into the Bay for the three days.
“Mor than 40 per cent of all competitors come from outside of the region, spending money on accommodation and hospitality.
“We are incredibly proud of how the show unites the rural and urban population,” she said.
“While the event cannot take place this year, it will be back bigger and better in 2022.”
All the cancelled shows have histories dating back more than a century, the Poverty Bay show having been first held in 1875. Hundreds of competitors attend all three shows each year.