The prime minister’s announcement that the country will remain at Alert Level 4 until 11.59pm on Friday, 27 August, and Auckland at Alert level 4 until 11.59pm on Tuesday, 31 August 2021 is concerning. The exponential growth of Covid-19 cases in the community makes it clear New Zealand is dealing with a cluster reaching the upper limit of expectations predicted nearly a week ago.
Professor Shaun Hendy, an expert Covid-19 modeller, says Auckland will likely be in Alert Level 4 for several weeks. This assessment impacts our long-planned Wairakei Weekend. Most of our registrants and all our ‘guides’ live out of the Waikato and so must travel to join the gathering. While the rest of the country may enjoy an alert level shift later this week, I expect inter-provincial travel will still be restricted by health regulation.
At our urgent executive meeting on Tuesday, we recognised that in the unlikely event travel restrictions might be lifted in time for the event, then socially, long-distance travel for judges to gather may not ‘feel’ nor ‘look’ right. So, we decided to cancel our Wairakei Weekend. The mahi put into this concept of a non-conference conference will not be wasted. We will use the idea at another time. And we will press on with our work to bring you the member services we intended to launch this September including our Sanctuary Care programme and our charitable and research arm to be known as the JANZ Foundation.
If you registered please write to Lara at admin@janz.nz and let us know if you would like a refund and where we might return it to. You also have the option of letting us know if you would like your registration fee retained for our foundation.
JANZ seeks unity in the belief that together, supporting each other, in a spirit of open-mindedness and collegiality we may better serve our communities. In these times our interconnection, our unity of purpose, our kind support of one another is critical and so we also decided to open up JANZ membership to all judicial officers and their families and waive the first year’s membership fee from 1 September 2021 to 1 October 2022. Joining is simple — contact Lara at admin@janz.nz. You can then look at our members' website. I hope you may find here something of comfort, inspiration or even amusement to lift you up. Enjoy.
Ko Te Kaiwhakawā o Aotearoa e tu ngatahi ana tatou
We are the judges of New Zealand and we stand together.
Kia kaha, nga mihi nui
Gerard
President.
A non-conference conference boldly going where no judicial conference has gone before. A Chatham House Rules* gathering, beginning a conversation about things that matter and must endure. We want to share stories about what connects us, the challenges we face, and the moments we rise to meet them. Register to attend the gathering by filling out the form below. Cost is $200pp or $375 per couple, so bring your loved one along. Price includes cocktails on Friday, dinner on Saturday, brunch on Sunday, and conference administration. Accommodation, activities, and alcohol (unless provided) excluded. Once you’ve filled out the form, please make payment to JANZ direct at:
01-0288-0208125-00.
Particulars: Wairakei
Reference: Your last name
Register for JANZ Wairakei Gathering
Download the programme via the button below to learn more about the gathering and the guided conversations we’d love for you to be a part of.
Accommodation options
Wairakei Taupo Resort
Wairakei Resort Taupo offers excellent service, comfortable accommodation, and plenty of leisure facilities amid the forested slopes of Wairakei Thermal Valley in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island. You can enjoy golf on their nine-hole course, play tennis on floodlit courts and visit the fitness centre for a game of squash. Two geothermally heated swimming pools and 6 outdoor hot tubs are complemented by an on-site spa.
There are other motels and apartments nearby should the on-site hotel be fully booked or if it doesn't suit your needs.