Source: Radio New Zealand
The Maadi Rowing Regatta is held at Lake Ruataniwha on alternate years. © Picture Show Ltd 2024
Mackenzie mayor Scott Aronsen has dismissed reports Twizel is running low on fuel as the town hosts the pinnacle of the secondary school rowing calendar.
The Maadi Rowing Regatta is held at Lake Ruataniwha on alternate years.
It is one of the largest secondary school sporting events in the Southern Hemisphere with more than 2000 competitors accompanied by parents, teachers and support crews hitting town for the five-day competition.
The influx to the small Mackenzie town of Twizel – population about 1800 – can number 10,000 or more.
And, at some stage, most will want fuel.
Aronsen said the town’s two petrol stations were keeping a very close eye on supply and refuelling arrangements.
The Mackenzie district is vast, sparsely populated and a tourist mecca, including hot spots like Lake Tekapo/Tākapō and Aoraki Mount Cook.
It had the country’s highest rate of guest nights per capita in 2024.
Aronsen said the district was humming with thousands in town for Maadi on top of the regular flow of tourists.
The regatta was the last of more than two dozen back-to-back events over summer, including food festivals and multisport events, the mayor said.
Twizel petrol station McKeown had run low a few days back but had since restocked and was ready to bring another 40,000 litres in if necessary, Aronsen said, and a petrol station in nearby Lake Tekapo briefly placed limits on petrol purchases last week.
“I rang McKeown’s myself and they’ve got another load to bring in if need be. As they said to me, so long as we don’t get people stockpiling fuel there’ll be no problems but the minute we have people start stockpiling then we’re going to get ourselves into trouble,” Aronsen said.
This weekend would be the test as the bulk of the town’s visitors leave in a “mass exodus” but suppliers were being vigilant, he said.
“They’re well aware of the situation, so they’re prepared for it.”
High fuel prices did not seem to have affected turn out for the regatta, which appeared to be the biggest yet, Aronsen said.
However, like elsewhere in the country, soaring fuel costs were still affecting people.
Discussions were underway at the council as to whether some staff could work from home and many residents were limiting their trips to Timaru – a four-hour round trip, he said.
Some local farmers were also not getting the amount of diesel they had ordered or were being told there were caps on future orders, Aronsen said.
“So there’s definitely some – I won’t call it restrictions – but there’s definitely some cautions being put in place there to think about usage,” he said.
Pūkaki ward councillor Frank Hocken said it was understandable some petrol stations had run low at times given the huge numbers in town and on the back of an extremely busy summer season.
“It’s the biggest Maadi cup I think we’ve ever had, there’s about 2000 kids here plus heaps and heaps of parents,” he said.
“It’s getting busier every day. It’s a great thing for Twizel.”
Rowing NZ general manager sports development Jared Cummings said it had been an amazing week with great weather and hospitality from Twizel.
Competitor numbers were the highest ever, at 2187, for a South Island regatta.
“I’ve never seen this many people Monday to Thursday – normally the final days are big,” Cummings said.
Soaring fuel costs had not affected Rowing NZ’s costs, which were fixed and booked a long way in advance, he said.
“The same with the schools and everyone else – all of them are booked well in advance. We’re a really organised sport and that stuff is pretty much really at the absolute margins with respect to fuel.”
RNZ spoke to several hospitality and accommodation businesses that said, aside from intermittent shortages at petrol stations, there was no evidence the fuel crisis had affected visitor numbers with several commenting this year appeared to be the busiest Maadi yet.
The final day on Saturday – the day that traditionally brought in the most attendees – was expected to be massive.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
