Thanks to everyone who came from all over New Zealand to attend Nationals last weekend. It was amazing to see more than 400 keen orienteers come together again after a truly extraordinary year. We’ll be getting a wrap-up newsletter and survey underway shortly.
In the meantime, we do have some pieces of lost property:
a purple woman’s hoodie (ca size 14)
a pair of black and green Supra orienteering shoes (no size, about Women’s 8).
Any unclaimed medals from the Middle and Long Distance events, as well as all medals from the Sprint, are being sent to club secretaries.
We also thought it would be a good time to remind you of a few things before you finish your packing and get underway.
QR codes: While the recent events in Auckland are a concern, the advice at the moment is that we can proceed as planned. To make fast contact tracing possible, we will display NZ COVID Tracer App QR codes, and you must scan these at each event you attend. This is an easy thing to do which makes a big difference to the speed and quality of the public health response. Thanks!
Masks: It isn’t compulsory to wear a mask at the event as we’ll be outdoors and pretty spread out, but wearing one if you’re travelling by public transport (including flights) or carpooling is recommended.
Water and Food: As we won’t be providing water or food at the events, you need to bring your own supply sufficient for your whole party for the whole day. It’s likely to be warm, many of the courses are long and you’ll be losing a lot of water as sweat, so don’t underestimate what you’ll need. Especially if you have hungry teenagers in tow.
Sunblock: It’s still spring, but the forecast is for fine weather and MetService recommends sun protection from about 9.30am to 4.30pm.
Sponsorship
You might have seen the Orienteering Family on the recent ads for the Interislander – I know I was excited to see our beloved but admittedly somewhat esoteric sport mentioned in big letters in public – and Jane passed on some even more exciting news:
Stop Press! Interislander have come on board with a couple of prizes which we’ll be giving away during the weekend. Keep an eye out!
So even more reason to run your hearts out come the weekend!
Volunteers
If you’ve volunteered to help, many thanks, we really appreciate it! Please check in with the registration desk when your shift starts and we’ll point you in the right direction. The latest volunteer briefings are available here.
We’re thrilled that so many people have shown such strong support for the Nationals in what has been an eventful and difficult year. We’re looking forward to hosting more than four hundred orienteers in the forests for the Long Distance and Middle Distance events, and nearly that many for the Sprint Distance on Monday.
The start lists and programme are now available. Please take the time to read them carefully so you can arrive prepared for a great weekend of orienteering.
If you have any questions, please contact the Orienteering Wellington secretary at secretary@wellingtonorienteering.org.nz. Otherwise, safe travels and we’ll see you at the weekend!
Entries close at midnight tonight, so don’t put it off any longer. There’s some beautiful forest (and a tricky sprint) waiting for you at Labour Weekend.
There are now just two weeks to enter the NZ Orienteering Championships (‘Nationals’).
Based on where we’re at and the need for orienteers and organisers to have certainty, we are now moving forward with our Level 2 plan. Key elements of the Level 2 plan are as follows:
Nationals will be a 3-day event (Saturday 24 – Monday 26 October).
Long distance on Saturday, Middle distance on Sunday, and Sprint on Monday.
People will be assigned to ‘travel groups’, according to their club or where they are travelling from.
Elites will be allocated their own time block, regardless of travel group.
World Ranking Event status still applies for long- and middle-distance events.
No food, coffee or water at the event centre, and limited other facilities—so come well prepared!
COVID Tracer QR codes for contact tracing, good hygiene practices, and physical distancing where possible are all an expectation of participation at Nationals 2020.
We know that things will look and feel a bit different, but we need to ensure a safe and fun competition for everyone.
None of the key elements of the Level 2 plan that are listed above will be revisited, even if COVID-19 alert levels across the country are below Alert Level 2 on the day.
We know that people want to catch up and compare notes. If all of New Zealand is at Alert Level 1, you will more likely see a more relaxed approach at event centres—but one that conforms to the expected public health practices of that alert level.
For detail about what happens if alert levels anywhere in New Zealand exceed Level 2 as of 23 October, see our decision criteria.
All entries from April were voided, so anyone who intends to come along needs to re-enter. Until your name appears on the list of confirmed entries, you are not entered—and you are not automatically re-entered, even if we are holding over your entry fee from Easter.
We will be contacting those people whose money we have to ensure that they receive the correct reimbursement in light of our moving to a three-day event. We are also contacting our volunteers to reconfirm their arrangements for helping.
We appreciate your commitment to attending Nationals—make sure to enter by midnight Friday 9 October.
We’re pleased to let you know where we’re at with planning for the 2020 ONZ National Foot-O Championships. Further to Orienteering NZ’s recent major events update, Orienteering Wellington would like to present our plan for the 2020 Nationals.
Our key considerations in developing this plan have been to ensure the safety of competitors and to follow government guidelines on gatherings and social distancing.
How it works
If all of New Zealand is at COVID-19 Alert Level 1, or lower, we will run Nationals under our Level 1 plan.
If any part of New Zealand is at a COVID-19 Alert Level between 1 and 2, we will run Nationals under our Level 2 plan.
If either Manawatū or Wellington is at a COVID-19 Alert Level greater than 2, we will not run an event.
If Manawatū or Wellington is at level 2 or lower, and any other part of New Zealand is at a COVID-19 Alert Level greater than 2, we will consider running a multi-day event over Labour Weekend. This won’t be the Nationals as such as some competitors will not be able to travel to attend, but will use many of the same high quality maps and courses.
Given the uncertainty around when and where Alert Levels might change, Orienteering Wellington will confirm which Level Plan we will use at the end of September. See our decision criteria for more details.
We realise these are uncertain times and we’re lucky to be able to plan an A-level event at all. To help alleviate the uncertainty for competitors, full refunds for entry fees will be available up until the closing of entries. If the event takes place using our Level 2 plan, the relay entry will be refunded.
In line with government health advice, please do not attend if you feel unwell. Competitors who need to withdraw due to illness will get a full refund of their entry fees.
Unfortunately, Orienteering Wellington cannot take liability for any loss associated with travel or accommodation cancellation.
At this time, all of New Zealand is in Alert Level 2. Auckland, and people from Auckland, are at Alert Level 2 with additional restrictions.
These alert levels will remain in place until at least Monday 21 September.
Orienteering Wellington and Orienteering NZ are monitoring the situation. Possible implications for proceeding with Nationals at Labour Weekend (23-26 October 2020) are also being assessed at this time.
It is now more crucial than ever to practice good hygiene, keep track of where you’ve been, and stay home when you’re sick.
The first starts for the sprints on Friday are from 4pm in Levin.
If you are considering flying in to Wellington or crossing from the South Island before driving north, be aware that Labour Weekend traffic can be heavy. Expect severe congestion at any time of the day, especially in the afternoon. If you’re flying from elsewhere in the country, it may be more efficient to fly to Palmerston North as congestion from there to the event sites is much less likely to be a problem.
Many participants will either be travelling through or beginning their journeys in Wellington. We strongly recommend that you leave Wellington at around 12.00pm. This will give you peace of mind that you will arrive in Levin in good time for your sprint. If your journey goes well and you end up with time on your hands, there’s plenty to see and do along the way.
Road trip resources
The NZTA journey planner is a useful resource when planning your trip, as is the real-time traffic information on Google Maps. And if you can car-pool with other orienteers and reduce the number of cars on the road, so much the better!
As with all major events, you should plan your travel for the listed “first starts from” start times.
In accordance with ONZ Foot Orienteering rules, specific start time requests can only be considered for parents of young children who may need split starts, and event officials including volunteers.
