Ticket holders frustrated with refund process after airshow failed to take off
By Adam Burns of RNZ
A Christchurch man who purchased tickets to a popular Marlborough airshow has been left frustrated, saying it is unfair to be reimbursed only part of the ticket price after the event was called off.
But event organisers say they are facing financial difficulties as they scramble to compensate ticket holders who have been left out of pocket.
The Classic Fighters airshow at Omaka, near Blenheim, was due to take place over Easter Weekend but was cancelled four days beforehand due to severe weather expected.
The biennial event has been running since 2001 as a showcase for historic military aircrafts from both World War I and II.
Following the cancellation, organisers said they were in the process of "contacting all ticketholders ... to advise when they can expect some clarity around their ticket investment".
But many ticket purchasers have vented their anger online after being offered only a "50 to 80 percent partial refund", with one woman describing the situation as "absolutely disgraceful".
Colm McArdle planned to travel to the event with his family before he was told about the cancellation in the days leading up.
The trip was set to cost between $1000-$1500, he said.
In an email to ticket holders a week later, event organisers signalled the "considerable challenge of navigating the financial repercussions of this cancellation".
"We have the immediate task of ensuring that our suppliers and contractors engaged in the preparation of the airshow are paid in accordance with their contracts."
The email also included a link to a survey, offering options of a partial refund, donating the ticket cost to organisers or rolling tickets over to the next show in 2027.
McArdle tried to follow up with organisers.
"I wasn't confident that 2027 would go ahead and that it's too far in the future," McArdle said.
"I told them I expected a full refund and I got no reply from them."
It is the second time McArdle had purchased tickets to the event only for it to be cancelled.
The 2021 airshow was abandoned due to Covid-19, however, he received a full refund "within a couple of weeks".
"I was sort of expecting the same thing," he said. Airshow organisers facing 'significant financial challenges'
Earlier this month, the Classic Fighters Airshow Charitable Trust informed ticket purchasers organisers were "facing unavoidable costs associated with the show preparations".
"We are deeply grateful to the many ticket holders who have generously chosen to retain their tickets for the next show in 2027, and to those who have made kind donations to support us, your generosity is truly appreciated."
A number of suppliers had also offered to absorb some of the expenses incurred, the email said.
"I was under the impression that these events would be insured for these sorts of situations," McArdle said.
"For me, it's very unfair, times aren't easy these days. I'm not in the business of giving my money away to events and event organisers and not getting anything in return. The whole thing wasn't cheap."
In a statement to RNZ, the Trust said the cancellation had caused a "significant financial challenge".
"We understand the frustration caused by the air show's cancellation and sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of most ticket holders.
"Mindful of our commitment to all our ticket holders, we made the difficult decision to secure a loan. This allowed us to provide an 80 percent refund of the original ticket price and most of these refunds have now been made."
It was also dealing with a "small number of issues" and dealing with each case on an individual basis, a spokesperson said.
"All ticket refunds and roll-overs should be completed within the next two days."
Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, if an event or show is cancelled, ticket holders are entitled to a full refund plus the booking fee.
Consumer Protection states, under the Act, this may not be the case if the breach was due to something outside the control of the business and their agents.
"For example, the ticket seller and event organiser are not liable under the [Act] if an event was unavoidably delayed because of bad weather."
Earlier this week McArdle was refunded $237.60, amounting to 76 percent of the total sum he paid for tickets.
Consumer New Zealand has been approached for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Bar open four hours a week gets licence
It is open for only four hours a week and last served a meal before the Covid lockdown — is this New Zealand's most peculiar pub? The unusual operating practices of Dunedin's Harbourview Stadium Hotel have been revealed after it applied to renew its liquor licence recently. Pub owner Dr Hu Zhang bought the Ravensbourne premises in 2011 with a view to converting it into accommodation for students and visiting academics, but locals convinced him to keep the bar open so they had a place to meet for a drink. It is split into three parts — a bar, restaurant and upstairs accommodation — and also opened a cafe area in 2018. The bar used to be open between 4pm and 8pm from Tuesday to Sunday. But once it reopened after the pandemic, its opening hours were ultimately reduced to between 4.30pm and 8pm on Wednesdays only. The Dunedin district licensing committee seemed perplexed when Dr Zhang applied for the pub's liquor licence to be renewed. "Because they are open for such a short time on one day of the week, the impression would be that the premises is not trading," district licensing committee secretary Kevin Mechen said. It sometimes adjusted its hours when there were local events or parties, Mr Mechen said. "The locals use text messaging to let each other know they are going for a drink. "Unfortunately, some of their locals can no longer get to the premises because of their ages." Most patrons went to the pub for a soft drink or beer and did not buy food. "When asked when the last meal was prepared at the premises, Dr Zhang said it was before the Covid lockdown. When reporting agencies visited the premises, they found "the barest of food available for sale" and not enough to meet requirements. At a hearing last month, Dr Zhang had "by his own admission" said he did not need the premises, Mr Mechen said. The committee nevertheless decided to renew the licence for a truncated period to February 28 next year. When contacted yesterday, Dr Zhang said he was happy with the committee's decision but declined to comment further. A licensing inspector had indicated they would visit the premises every two months to ensure compliance with the legislation, Mr Mechen said. "We understand the applicant's desire to maintain a place for the locals to socialise but more needs to be done to make it a desirable premises and to ensure compliance with the legislation." The committee reminded Dr Zhang there must be a certified manager working whenever the pub was open for the sale of alcohol and food must be available that met requirements, Mr Mechen said. When the Otago Daily Times visited the premises about 5pm yesterday the front door was locked and the lights in the bar area were turned off.
Scoop
16 hours ago
- Scoop
More Kiwis Oppose Than Support Government's Pay Equity Changes, New Poll Shows
Article – RNZ Nearly two thirds of the public believe the government should have first sought feedback on the controversial change, the latest RNZ Reid Research poll shows., Deputy Political Editor More New Zealanders oppose than support the government's shake-up of the pay equity regime, and a clear majority think the public should have been consulted first, a new poll shows. The latest RNZ Reid Research survey found 43.2 percent of respondents were against the overhaul, compared to just 25.5 percent in favour. Nearly a third – 31.3 percent – remained unsure. On the question of consultation, 68 percent said the government should have first sought feedback, with only 18.6 percent saying no. The remainder – 13.4 percent – were undecided. That opinion carried through to voters' party preferences, with even a slim majority of ACT voters agreeing that there should have been consultation, despite the changes being championed by Workplace Relations Minister and ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden. The poll also indicated limited public comprehension: just 49.7 percent said they understood the changes, 38.2 percent admitted they did not, and a further 12.1 percent were unsure. More than half of those who claimed a lacked of understanding still expressed an opinion about the policy: 38 percent said they opposed it and 13 percent said they supported it. Respondents were surveyed from 23 May through to 30 May, capturing the immediate reaction to last month's Budget and the $12.8 billion of savings made from the coalition's pay equity pivot. Van Velden had announced the overhaul several weeks earlier, before passing legislation through all stages under urgency. Among the key changes: a new merit test was introduced, as well as a greater focus on whether employers could afford higher wages. The threshold to lodge a claim was lifted, and job comparisons across different industries were restricted. Along with the changes, the coalition also extinguished the 33 claims already being considered under the previous scheme. The government argues the regime had expanded beyond its remit, becoming too costly and confusing. The opposition parties and unions says the changes will make it harder for those in female-dominated sectors to achieve fair pay. The RNZ Reid Research result follows a similar question asked in the latest 1News Verian Poll, released on Tuesday. It found 45 percent opposed the pay equity changes, compared to 39 percent in support, and 16 percent who did not know or wouldn't say. Speaking to RNZ, van Velden said she had received mixed feedback but believed the community now recognised that the changes were necessary. 'It's always going to be a difficult conversation,' she said. 'We have fixed resources, we have to make those difficult decisions on behalf of New Zealanders.' And Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told RNZ he would not do anything differently if given the chance again. 'We made some pretty tough decisions to go through under urgency. But we had to fix a very unworkable and unaffordable law. It had got completely out of whack.' Finance Minister Nicola Willis suggested some of the public opposition or lack of understanding could have been driven by Labour promoting 'misinformation'. 'Labour have had a very confused position, and their hyperbole in claiming that we were ending equal pay has ultimately done a disservice to them and the people they're seeking to represent, because it's basically untrue.' But Labour leader Chris Hipkins said that was sheer desperation. 'Women up and down the country have a right to feel angry,' Hipkins said. 'The government cut billions of dollars that was otherwise going to be going into low paid women's pay packets, and now they're just desperately trying to deflect attention away from that.' The latest RNZ Reid Research poll showed National and ACT losing support, and without the numbers – even with NZ First – to form a government. ACT leader David Seymour said he did not put much stock in any one poll but acknowledged the recent pay equity changes could be on some voters' minds. 'Doing what is right is what is politically popular in the long term, and even if I'm wrong about that, good policy is worth it anyway. 'We have left New Zealand with a more sensible pay equity regime focused on actual gender-based discrimination, and I think that's worth it.' This poll of 1008 people was conducted by Reid Research, using quota sampling and weighting to ensure representative cross section by age, gender and geography. The poll was conducted through online interviews between 23-30 May 2025 and has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. The report is available here.
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
More Kiwis Oppose Than Support Government's Pay Equity Changes, New Poll Shows
More New Zealanders oppose than support the government's shake-up of the pay equity regime, and a clear majority think the public should have been consulted first, a new poll shows. The latest RNZ Reid Research survey found 43.2 percent of respondents were against the overhaul, compared to just 25.5 percent in favour. Nearly a third - 31.3 percent - remained unsure. On the question of consultation, 68 percent said the government should have first sought feedback, with only 18.6 percent saying no. The remainder - 13.4 percent - were undecided. That opinion carried through to voters' party preferences, with even a slim majority of ACT voters agreeing that there should have been consultation, despite the changes being championed by Workplace Relations Minister and ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden. The poll also indicated limited public comprehension: just 49.7 percent said they understood the changes, 38.2 percent admitted they did not, and a further 12.1 percent were unsure. More than half of those who claimed a lacked of understanding still expressed an opinion about the policy: 38 percent said they opposed it and 13 percent said they supported it. Respondents were surveyed from 23 May through to 30 May, capturing the immediate reaction to last month's Budget and the $12.8 billion of savings made from the coalition's pay equity pivot. Van Velden had announced the overhaul several weeks earlier, before passing legislation through all stages under urgency. Among the key changes: a new merit test was introduced, as well as a greater focus on whether employers could afford higher wages. The threshold to lodge a claim was lifted, and job comparisons across different industries were restricted. Along with the changes, the coalition also extinguished the 33 claims already being considered under the previous scheme. The government argues the regime had expanded beyond its remit, becoming too costly and confusing. The opposition parties and unions says the changes will make it harder for those in female-dominated sectors to achieve fair pay. The RNZ Reid Research result follows a similar question asked in the latest 1News Verian Poll, released on Tuesday. It found 45 percent opposed the pay equity changes, compared to 39 percent in support, and 16 percent who did not know or wouldn't say. Speaking to RNZ, van Velden said she had received mixed feedback but believed the community now recognised that the changes were necessary. "It's always going to be a difficult conversation," she said. "We have fixed resources, we have to make those difficult decisions on behalf of New Zealanders." And Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told RNZ he would not do anything differently if given the chance again. "We made some pretty tough decisions to go through under urgency. But we had to fix a very unworkable and unaffordable law. It had got completely out of whack." Finance Minister Nicola Willis suggested some of the public opposition or lack of understanding could have been driven by Labour promoting "misinformation". "Labour have had a very confused position, and their hyperbole in claiming that we were ending equal pay has ultimately done a disservice to them and the people they're seeking to represent, because it's basically untrue." But Labour leader Chris Hipkins said that was sheer desperation. "Women up and down the country have a right to feel angry," Hipkins said. "The government cut billions of dollars that was otherwise going to be going into low paid women's pay packets, and now they're just desperately trying to deflect attention away from that." The latest RNZ Reid Research poll showed National and ACT losing support, and without the numbers - even with NZ First - to form a government. ACT leader David Seymour said he did not put much stock in any one poll but acknowledged the recent pay equity changes could be on some voters' minds. "Doing what is right is what is politically popular in the long term, and even if I'm wrong about that, good policy is worth it anyway. "We have left New Zealand with a more sensible pay equity regime focused on actual gender-based discrimination, and I think that's worth it." This poll of 1008 people was conducted by Reid Research, using quota sampling and weighting to ensure representative cross section by age, gender and geography. The poll was conducted through online interviews between 23-30 May 2025 and has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. The report is available here.
