The move to Red has sparked a string of event cancellations.

Both the New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin and New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland have been cancelled.

Auckland's Splore Festival, Christchurch's Great Kiwi Beer Festival and Sculpture on the Peninsula, Dunedin's Craft Beer and Food Festival, and parts of Wellington's Lunar New Year Festival have also been called off.

Viv Beck, chief executive of Auckland's Heart of the City business association told Roman Travers it's not the news anyone wanted to hear.

“Events have been really a saviour last year, so it’s pretty devastating to see that all come apart now.”

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