default-output-block.skip-main
National

'No vax no vines'– Rhythm and Vines founder

Rhythm and Vines founder-director Hamish Pinkham says the recent announcement of the Covid Vaccine passes by the government is a positive step forward.

“What we’ve been telling our punters is no vax no vines this summer,” Pinkham says.

He told Te Ao Tapatahi that before this announcement, he was unsure of how things would operate for the annual music festival that attracts over 20,000 people every year.

“We’ve been looking for a bit of clarity, a bit of direction of how this summer’s events are going to look but they’ve put a line in the sand and given us some authority to get behind this mandate."

The new rule will apply to everyone attending the festival including staff and artists, and Pinkham says his team is working on ways in which it can regulate this new rule.

“We are working on the technology at the moment and it’s something the promoters can implement to ensure that we are getting only vaccinated punters attending our events and others.”

There are still some details yet to be outlined regarding the rules, such as those that are not able to be vaccinated due to health reasons.

“There’s certainly a few levels to work on and we’re hoping the government will give us guidance on that in due time.”

Rhythm and Vines 2021 is scheduled to run from December 28-31.