2022 Camp Cancelled

The Summer Camp committee have spent the last few months marketing and pushing Summer Camp as an event.  Planning for Summer Camp has also been ongoing and we have the usual exciting programme ready to go.  Despite this, the numbers of youth registering is still low.  As at 10 October we had only 29 cubs and 40 scouts registered.  The numbers of adults registering is also low.

The committee met over the weekend to discuss the impact of the last COVID19 outbreak in Auckland, the Waikato and most recently Katikati, which is only a half hour drive from Waitawheta.  The committee also looked at the low numbers and compared that to other regional and Zone events.  These other events also had very low numbers register to attend – in some case less than half of the people that would normally come.  Finally the committee discussed the difficult question of whether to require all adults to be vaccinated before attending Summer Camp.

The very sad decision that the committee have come to is that Summer Camp 2022 has to be cancelled.  The most important aspect of this decision was the health and safety for all our participants - staff and youth alike.  The committee balanced its core belief that scouting is to be accessible for all no matter what their beliefs with the vital duty Scouting has to eliminate or minimise risk from our activities.  The committee also had to decide whether the leadership team had the capacity to be able to plan for and keep up with the constantly changing landscape COVID19 has created from a legal and logistical perspective.  The committee also canvassed whether it would be possible to deliver the programme in a different way to maintain the “Scout bubble” and keep within the current Government and national rules.  It was not a decision that was taken lightly and after much debate and discussion, the cancellation decision was made.

We know that this will be disappointing for all of you who had registered and made your summer holiday plans around Summer Camp.  On behalf of Summer Camp, let me apologise for that.  This is one of the reasons we wanted to let you know now so that you had a chance to make other plans. 

The committee now turn their attention to making Summer Camp 2023 a reality.  All is not lost from this year.  We have a new registration system that has worked well which we will looking to use again next year.  We also have a new website up and running.  We have new kayaks ready to roll and a brand new expedition for Scout camp – the Adventure race.  We will be looking to have all of that for 2023 when we do get the chance to meet again.

Baden Powell said the life without adventure would be deadly dull indeed.  Whilst the Summer Camp adventure is on hold for now, the committee hopes that you will find another way to have your summer adventure, and we wish you a safe journey for whatever you decide to do.