The popular Nugget Multisport Festival that raises thousands of dollars and brings hundreds of participants to Waihī and Waihī Beach has been cancelled for a second consecutive year due to ongoing Treaty settlement processes.
Event organisers told their social media followers on February 19 that they had “bad news”.
The post said the festival, scheduled for May 10, 2025, would not be going ahead.
“Ongoing Treaty settlement processes over the Orokawa Reserve area that affect our Department of Conservation land access concession renewal have prevented us from securing the necessary approvals for this year’s event.
“The concession impacts key sections of the Full Nugget, Half Nugget, and 24km run courses. We’ve been working hard to find a way forward with this, but we’ve been unsuccessful, and we’ve also looked at multiple course re-routes, but unfortunately none have provided a workable solution.”
The Nugget Multisport Festival began in 2010 and includes five event options: a Full Nugget MultiSport Race of road cycling, kayaking, a trail run, and mountain biking for individuals or teams; a Half Nugget Duathlon; and a 23km, 10km, or 6km trail run or walk.
As a charity event, the festival gives away all its event proceeds each year – usually totalling more than $12,000 – to local charities and community organisations.
Event director Mark Samson told The Profile that their understanding was that the Treaty settlement process, with respect to the Orokawa Reserve, wasn’t complete yet, and the Department of Conservation wasn’t able to issue any concessions until it was.
“From our perspective [the cancellation] is obviously not the ideal outcome; however, we have very little understanding of the work that goes on behind the scenes between the various parties involved in a Treaty settlement process,” Mark said. “It’s not for us to criticise, we just have to accept that it is what it is.
“In a perfect world there would be many more Nugget Multisport Festivals in the years ahead.”
The Department of Conservation’s permissions regulatory delivery manager Stephanie Bowman explained that the department had a process for granting permissions to use conservation land, prescribed by the Conservation Act.
“When we receive an application, it is assessed against relevant statutory planning documents and legislation. The Conservation Act requires us to give effect to the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and to do so we often consult with iwi/hapū/whānau to ensure we have all the relevant information needed.
“Decisions are made based on the effects of the proposed activity,” she said, “and the actions the applicant may take to mitigate adverse effects.
“In this instance, the applicant was provided some early feedback on their application and then withdrew from the process. Each Treaty Settlement negotiation is different and can add a layer of complexity to the permissions process and this is dealt with on a case-by-case basis.”
BY KELLEY TANTAU
