The country’s largest New Year’s Eve festival is just hours away from kicking off, with Gisborne locals looking forward to the economic boost and jobs Rhythm and Vines creates.
Weeks before the country’s largest New Year’s Eve festival the vital party preparations were in full swing, with lighting, and sound rigs hoisted up as multiple stages were being built.
Building contractor Tim Crasborn said most of the nearly 4km of Himalayan cedar he was using to build one of its five stage sets came from Cyclone Gabrielle.
His neighbour, an arborist, milled and supplied the logs.
“It’s all getting used, too – front of house and the stage so good circular economy.”
Major headline acts are on board for Rhythm and Vines’ 22nd event, including MTV Artist of the Year Ice Spice and crowd favourite Peking Duk.
Festival director Kieran Spillane said it’s like building a miniature town within the vineyard.
“Everything needs to come in – electricity, sanitation, water, medical facilities,” he said. “Heck of a lot to it.”
Spillane added that festivalgoers can expect to see larger stages “just to help people have a good time and really enjoy it as a spectacle and experience”.
At its peak, there will be up to 1300 workers – 1000 from Gisborne – helping out.
“That covers everything from our field crew who are on site weeks prior, our liaison team who have supported artists, we’ve got a bar team, we’ve got a security team, we’ve got ticketing team,” Spillane said.
With over 26,000 partygoers expected to descend on the vineyard, RNV is easily the country’s biggest New Year’s Eve festival. It’s also expected to bring in an estimated $10 million economic boost to the region.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said the festival was huge for the region’s economy as local businesses continue to struggle.
“I know our whānau are doing it really tough,” she said.
“We are the fruit bowl of New Zealand – we grow stuff and it’s been exceptional tough for our forestry, all our primary industries. That is reflected even more so in our economy so we do need all the support we can get.”
Zephyr Wainui café co-owner Tiago Kerber said just one day of RNV can bring in a month’s worth of earnings.
“It can be like survival mode in winter but in summer, we get to thrive a bit more,” he said.
“We need at least double the stuff that we normally have on a normal weekend. So yeah, it’s, a lot. It’s great.”
