The Waitangi Treaty Grounds will be closed to the public on Waitangi Day.
File photo. Photo: 123rf.com
It follows an early decision to cancel in-person events usually held at the site.
Waitangi National Trust chair Pita Tipene said after receiving advice the estate and treaty grounds will be now be closed to the public on 6 February.
But the trust would work with broadcasters to deliver a virtual Waitangi Day experience, he said.
Without the ability to check vaccination passes for the large numbers of people expected on Waitangi Day, the Trust had no choice other than to take the action it has, organisers said.
Even if it had been possible to check vaccine certificates, opening the grounds was untenable because only 100 people can gather under the red Covid Protection Framework (CPF) setting.
"The Trustees fully appreciate that many people want to gather at Waitangi on Waitangi Day, our national day," Tipene said.
"However, we are in the middle of a global pandemic and with the Omicron variant now in the community and expected to spread quickly, we cannot proceed as if everything was normal."
"That would be totally irresponsible, not to mention unlawful, and Trustees are not prepared to risk the health and safety of the public by breaching the CPF order.
I encourage New Zealanders to commemorate Waitangi Day 2022 in their own homes and in their own communities - as many have always done."