Auckland events business looking forward to gathering limit raise after struggling through lockdown

May 25, 2020

The number allowed at gatherings will go from 10 to 100 from noon on May 29.

Businesses are hopeful as Kiwis will soon be able to gather with larger number of friends and family.

The number allowed at gatherings will go from 10 to 100 from noon on May 29, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today.

"It's been impossible to operate at all, our business has effectively gone to zero since the end of February," James Turner of Auckland’s Fairway Events Centre told 1 NEWS.

"People have been ringing me saying when can you do my wedding, so now I can ring them and say yes I can do your wedding."

Bars and restaurants can now take group bookings of up to 100.

However, seating’s still required and the dance-floor remains out of bounds.

"We want to get our economy moving quickly without losing the gains," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today.

"Many more gatherings will be able to occur from now on."

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the coupling of New Zealand's low case numbers and the outcome of the lockdown "have paid huge dividends here".

Ms Ardern said if New Zealand continued having a low number of coronavirus cases in Level 2 then New Zealand will be at a "position to move from that point".

There are just 27 active cases in the country, according to the Ministry of Health.

She said Cabinet wanted to move to Alert Level 1 as soon as it was safe to do so.

Cabinet will decide on June 8, with Ms Ardern saying no later than June 22 "we will consider a move to Alert Level 1".

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