The organisers of New Zealand Fashion Week are considering options for a new date after the last-minute postponement of the event which was to have begun within days. 

Founder and MD of NZFW, Dame Pieter Stewart, described the 11th-hour decision as disappointing but in part, predictable. 

The entire country was placed in strict Level 4 lockdown from midnight Tuesday after it was discovered a 58-year-old man from Devonport on Auckland’s North Shore had tested positive for the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus. Within 24 hours the number of infected people known to have been infected had increased to seven. 

“It’s disappointing for our designers who have put so much work into the shows to be presented next week, buyers, production teams, models, partners and all New Zealanders that we’ve had to postpone New Zealand Fashion Week because of the immediate lockdown,” said Dame Pieter. “Of course, health and safety must come first and we respect the decision made by our government.

“The reality is, we were always alert to the likelihood of another lockdown and are now actively working through the options of hosting this iconic event as soon as possible. We will be in a position to share further details once we have made a decision.”

This year’s NZFW will mark the event’s 20th anniversary.

NZFW has advised ticket holders who would like to request a refund on tickets purchased to contact iTicket directly.