A Wanaka music festival organiser who has been championing Kiwi music for more than two decades is stepping down and the festival is hitting the pause button for a year.
Since 1998, Lake Wanaka SouNZ Incorporated director Lynne Christie organised the annual Rippon Festival and the renamed Tuki Festival from 2014.
Ms Christie said it was time for ‘‘someone younger and brillianter” to take on the job but she would continue in a guidance role during the handover process.
Organisers said Covid-19 had been a factor in the decision to take a break this summer.
Alert Levels 2 to 4 make larger events impossible, while in Level 1 all festivals are now featuring almost 100% Kiwi acts.
