924 days ago

MOTAT Christmas Lights 10th anniversary spectacle cancelled

Ripu Bhatia Reporter from Auckland Stuff

A popular Christmas light show has been cancelled due to public safety concerns and the uncertainty of Covid-19 restrictions.

Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) announced on Wednesday that the 10th anniversary celebration of Christmas Lights will not go ahead this year.

MOTAT spokeswoman Sally Manuireva said the decision to cancel the event was a difficult one, as it is the museum’s largest event of the year.

The Auckland event was attended by over 60,000 visitors over 12 nights last year.

“While I know this may be disappointing news for many families who were looking forward to this event, keeping our visitors safe is our top priority,” Manuireva said.

“We’ve decided to make this call now to give our suppliers transparency and allow our team to focus on our summer programming.”

This marks the first occasion where MOTAT’s Christmas Lights has been canned.

MOTAT will still light up its heritage Pumphouse building and erect a 20ft Christmas tree which will be visible from Great North Road.

The Museum will release ‘12 Days of Christmas’, which consists of free online crafts and activities which can be accessed on the online education platform MOTAT.FUN.

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More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

Share your New Zealand music memories...

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

It's NZ Music Month and New Zealand really has some beautiful songs from artists that we call our own.

Whether it's April Sun in Cuba, Don't Forget your Roots, or How Bizarre or Bic Runga's 'Sway' - songs have a way of unlocking memories and evoking old feelings.

In honour of NZ Music Month, share a New Zealand song or artist that is special to you and explain why.

Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.

7 hours ago

And the 2024 Prospa Local Business Hero is...

Prospa

A huge congratulations to mother and son duo, Mary and Sam Danielson from The Puketapu Hotel.

The votes for all finalists have been tallied and they have been chosen by Neighbourly members across the country as the Prospa Local Business Hero of 2024.

The Puketapu Hotel was nominated by a local called Margaret and the nomination reads:
'On Feb 14, 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle flooded many of the rural areas. Puketapu Hotel went under perhaps half a meter of water. However, immediately Mary Danielson and her son, Sam Danielson, along with their loyal staff pulled it together to cook copious amounts of food that without electricity would have been wasted. Throughout the years many of us have been treated with a pub gathering where we can reconnect and a free meal. At Christmas there was Santa, games, gifts for kids, donated patchwork for adults, an ice cream truck and lots of camaraderie.
This February on the cyclone anniversary, they again pulled out the stops to give hundreds of us a special night. We are all tired of the cyclone cleanup and they understood that it was needed.'

Such a deserving business and team, well done Mary and Sam. And thank you to all those who voted!

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2 days ago

The Tova Show

Jen from Stuff

Hello! Are you a …
- A student/young professional renting
- A young family, renting or owning
- An older New Zealander/retiree/pensioner

We’re reaching out from the Tova show, the flagship weekly politics podcast on Stuff, as we prepare for our budget coverage and how it’s affecting Kiwis - we’d love to hear from you.

We need a few people who are available the week before the budget (Wednesday 22nd/Thursday 23rd May) and on the day of the announcement (Thursday 30th May).

Please email tova@stuff.co.nz or comment below if you’d like to share your perspective with us. We give you our commitment to treat your experience with sensitivity and care.

Type NFP if you don't wish your comments to be used.

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