IHNZ Update #16

Posted August 26, 2020
IHNZ News

Under the present circumstances and based on the information provided with the current government announcements made today, a decision has been made by IHNZ to cancel both the Inline Hockey Nationals 2020 event and the Inline Hockey InterRegionals 2020 event.

This is a decision that has not been taken lightly and the board have considered a number of reasons and factors when making this decision.    The implications of running a tournament without potentially one of our regions in what is our 25th year is simply not acceptable.  The idea of running a watered down event with few if any spectators present under the current Ministry of Health guidelines is also undesirable.  By making this decision now, we are trying to ensure we safeguard the health of  our players and their families and enable them to  recoup accommodation and travel costs to date without penalty.

IHNZ have had a contingency plan since the first lockdown which was shared with all Club Presidents in which if these events were cancelled, IHNZ would look to rolling them over to 2021 with the New Plymouth (Nationals) and Stingrays clubs (InterRegionals) remaining as the host venue.

This contingency plan also highlighted that the Nationals competition time frame could be used  by each of the 4 Regional committees  to arrange a competition across age grades and teams at a suitable venue in their area within the mass gathering guidelines of the alert level they are operating within.   

All regional committees were asked to start formulating these plans and to develop a solution  tailored for their  region and members. These plans will be rolled out to clubs in the near future.

Again we are saddened and disappointed to be in this position and appreciate we will have many members who are upset at this decision.  

Our aim now is to ensure all those wanting to play hockey continue to do so at a safe level, within their regions and clubs at this stage.  We are hopeful that events such as the Mt Wellington 3 on 3 King of the Mountain in late November/early December can also continue.

We encourage everyone to please remain vigilant.  Stay safe all,  we look forward to having Inline Hockey back for all at a national level as soon as practically able. 

As usual, any questions or queries please forward to gm@inlinehockeynz.org.nz. 

Regards
IHNZ Board