For 20 years, Moonshine Trail has been a much-loved part of Southland's events landscape.
Over that time, thousands of memories have been made and a remarkable community has grown around the event. Active Southland is incredibly proud of that legacy and grateful to the participants, volunteers, sponsors, supporters, landowners and community members who have helped make Moonshine Trail what it has been.
Following the 2026 event, Active Southland made the decision that it would no longer directly own and deliver Moonshine Trail. That decision reflected changing participation trends, increasing delivery costs, the significant staff resources required across our organisation, and the need to align our work with our future strategic direction.
However, we didn't want our decision to automatically mean the end of Moonshine Trail.
We took time to explore whether another organisation or a different delivery model could provide a sustainable future for the event. We engaged with key stakeholders and supporters and explored community, club, commercial and partnership-led possibilities. The process was designed to understand interest in future ownership, gather ideas about alternative models and protect the relationships and goodwill built over the event's 20-year history.
Those conversations included organisations and people closely connected with Moonshine Trail, including funders, community volunteers, sponsors, landowners and trail access stakeholders, with sporting clubs, community groups and potential partner organisations also part of the engagement approach.
Following that process, Moonshine Trail will not continue.
While we're sad to close this chapter, we are immensely proud of what Moonshine Trail has meant to Southland.
To everyone who has ridden, run, walked, volunteered, sponsored, supported or opened their land to make the event possible over the past 20 years: thank you. Moonshine Trail's legacy belongs to all of you.
Active Southland's commitment to Gore District also remains strong. We will continue working with local partners and communities to create opportunities for people to be active through the district's tracks, trails and green spaces
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