Auckland Arts Festival 'frustrated' at short notice for alert levels, but 'delighted' for weekend events

March 12, 2021

Auckland Arts Festival artistic director Shona McCullagh says the short notice didn’t give them enough time to get one show in order.

An Auckland Arts Festival organiser says while she's “unbelievably delighted” the city is at Alert Level 1, she's “frustrated” at the half-hour’s notice for the change, because it didn’t give them enough time to get one show in order. 

Artistic director Shona McCullagh told 1 NEWS the shift to Alert Level 3, the 2, had been a “massive upheaval” for the festival, which runs until April 11. 

She said all of the festival’s events last week had to be postponed or cancelled because of Alert Level 3, and many shows had to be adapted to Level 2 restrictions. 

“It’s been a financial crush for the festival. But, we’re back in business and full of the aroha we want to bring to our audience.”

McCullagh added: “I’ve felt like I’ve been in a tumble drier in the past two weeks.”

Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at 11.30am Auckland would join the rest of the country at Alert Level 1 from noon.

The PM delivered the good news just minutes before the change in Covid-19 restrictions took effect.

It was great news for the festival’s performers, and for the weekend’s public activations, McCullagh said. 

“Unbelievably delighted … we’ve worked so hard to reschedule a number of events,” she said.

“One frustration is just the time span between the announcement and activation. It’s meant we haven’t been able to turn around one of our venues back from Level 2 to Level 1 in time for this weekend.”

The event in question is the festival’s cabaret Heavenly Bodies at the Civic Club, which is showing tonight and over the weekend.

McCullagh said the show was designed so that audience members could sit on stage facing the performers. This was scrapped under Alert Level 2 because it didn’t allow for social distancing. 

But, the quick shift to Alert Level 1 meant there wasn’t enough time to reorganise the venue’s seating, lights and sound equipment. Had organisers been told yesterday when Cabinet agreed in principle to moving Auckland to Alert Level 1, there could have been time to get ready, she said. 

“That is frustrating. However, the art is still there, the artists are ready to go and we’re thrilled.”

Ardern said earlier today the almost-immediate alert level shift in Auckland was about “getting the balance right”. 

She said Cabinet met last night to discuss the shift in alert levels, but withheld their decision until just before noon as they waited for the completion of 14 days — a full Covid-19 transmission cycle — since the last exposure event; and the results of day 12 testing for the last remaining close contacts of Case N, who are in isolation. 

Those tests all came back negative overnight.

Yesterday’s discussion with Cabinet "was a preliminary one", Ardern said.

"We have to make a decision at some point, so no matter what time we make the decision, someone will say, 'Why didn't you forewarn us and give us 48 hours notice?'

"For us, making the decision once we've got the full information — but doing it as soon as we can then give notice — is getting that balance right."

SHARE ME

More Stories