In an email to members, the JWNZ Trade Fair Committee stated that the fair – which was scheduled to take place on 30 August at the Alexandra Park Function Centre in Auckland – would not proceed due to health restrictions and border closures.
“There were a number of considerations and factors involved in the decision, including the [temporary] closure of the Alexandra Park Function Centre, the availability of hotel meeting rooms and accommodation, travel and the closed border to non-New Zealanders,” the email said.
At the time of publication, New Zealand had 22 active COVID-19 cases and was at Alert Level 1, which the New Zealand government's Unite For Recovery website describes as “everyone can return without restriction to work, school, sports and domestic travel, and you can get together with as many people as you want”.
However, border restrictions were still in place for non-New Zealand citizens and residents, with few exceptions.
The news follows the cancellation or postponement of several other local and international jewellery industry events, including Baselworld, the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, and JCK Las Vegas.
However, at the time of publication, the International Jewellery & Watch Fair was still scheduled to proceed in Sydney on 12–14 September.
The next JWNZ Trade Fair will take place on 29 August 2021.
Jeweller has contacted the JWNZ for comment.
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