​Planned Central Otago Waitangi Day 2022 celebrations cancelled

Central Otago District Council and the combined Otago rūnaka have made the joint decision to cancel the official Waitangi Day celebrations that were to be held in Alexandra on 6 February 2022.

CODC Chief Executive Sanchia Jacobs said it had been a difficult decision to make but was the right call given the Covid pandemic and the risks of organising a large scale event.

“It was to be the first time in our history that Central Otago would host the official Waitangi Day celebrations so we are saddened to not be able to proceed in 2022 with our planned whānau day but we will be putting our hands up to host a future event.

“We hope that our Central Otago community will still join us online on 6 February for a presentation on some of the stories of sacred spaces for mana whenua in Central Otago. We will post more detail on that closer to the time. We also encourage people do something with their whanau and friends to mark this important day.”