The Bay of Plenty's largest home and lifestyle event is being postponed due to the persisting restrictions on indoor gatherings.

The 2022 Tauranga Home Show is rescheduled to return in October

'Postponing a show is not something we take lightly,” says Bay Events general manager Dana McCurdy.

'Without any clarity from the government and a clear path out of the red traffic light setting, putting on an exhibition in early May is no longer viable.”

The Tauranga Home Show had been scheduled to run from May 6 to May 8 with exhibits spread across both halls of Trustpower Arena Baypark as well as outdoor displays, food trucks and live cooking shows.

'An event of this scope requires huge forward investment,” says Dana.

'There is a financial risk both on our part as organisers and for our exhibitors and suppliers. We can't expect other businesses to take on the burden of that risk in good faith, especially as many of them are currently struggling with the impact of global supply chain issues, high employee absenteeism due to isolation periods, a tight labour market and increases in transport costs.”

Dana anticipates that the postponement will allow time for the Covid-19 peak to pass and for the events industry to return to normal.

'We've had so much encouraging feedback from our exhibitors who want the show to go ahead.

'It is unfortunate because the show runs like its own self-contained shopping mall – and malls remain open – but as an exhibition we're in the same category as close-contact crowd events like concerts.”

This year marks the 23rd annual Tauranga Home Show, and the exhibition continues to expand in size and attendee numbers every year.

The event is organised by Bay Events Ltd, a local family-run business that was established in 1995 and have run over 60 exhibitions.

'We see first-hand the contribution our shows make to the local economy because we live here too.

'We encourage everybody to continue to support local businesses, and we look forward to bringing them back to meet you face-to-face at our October exhibition.”

The Tauranga Home Show will now run on October 28, 29 and 30, 2022, at Trustpower Arena Baypark.