Both organisations also see the benefit in leveraging Government advocacy.
“The Australian Government publicly acknowledged the difference between controlled gatherings, such as business events, and mass gatherings when they released their three-step COVIDSafe Roadmap, while five weeks ago the New Zealand Government gave the go-ahead for events of up to 100. We would have liked to have seen our Government follow their Australian counterparts and I am sure, vice versa,” Lisa Hopkins says.
“The close relationship between our countries, and the reliance we have on each other, means it makes sense to have a common voice when advocating for change, especially at this time of tremendous economic impact on our industry,” Dr Findlay says.
With New Zealand now functioning under Alert Level 1, events are now able to operate without any restriction, and both organisations believe keeping an eye on the future is critical.