Following Cyclone Gabrielle, ONZ and Hawkes Bay Orienteering Club have been in contact to look at the impact of this on club members and the coming Nationals. Thankfully we can confirm that club members are OK, although dealing with the effects of the flooding will be the focus for many in the coming weeks.  Amazingly, despite the challenges of this past week, the club remains committed to hosting Nationals. But due to damage to infrastructure, accommodation, and uncertainty around access to maps it will not be possible to undertake this at Easter, so the decision has been made to postpone the Nationals to Labour weekend. PAPO have agreed to move the Canterbury Champs from Labour weekend which was the main conflicting event on our event calendar.

Entries are currently closed for the Nationals, and those who had already entered will have their entries transferred to labour weekend, or be refunded. Please refrain from contacting Hawkes Bay OC about any arrangements or entries just at this stage whilst they are still dealing with some of the flooding implications. More will be communicated in due course, so stay tuned for when entries open again and the club is in a position to share more.

To fill the gap left over Easter there will be a multi-day event run in the Manawatū. Details on this are being worked through with clubs in the region around the final format and we expect to be in a position to share more information  within the next 7 days.

On behalf of the ONZ Council and staff, I would like to acknowledge the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on Hawkes Bay and other regions, and hope those of you impacted can get back on your feet quickly. Many thanks to everyone who is part of this tremendous effort to reshape our major event calendar, and at short notice. We have such great people across the orienteering community, and it is fantastic to see this level of collaboration, support, and commitment on display.

Peter Swanson

Chairperson

Orienteering NZ

Ph 027 302 4863

Email onz-chair@orienteering.org.nz