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Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki has welcomed the announcement that the TSB Festival of Lights and TAFT’s WinterFest have secured funding through the Government’s $10 million Events Boost Fund.
Administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), the fund forms part of the Government’s $70 million Major Events and Tourism Package. It supports event organisers to promote to international markets, attract new audiences and encourage visitors to extend their stay.
The TSB Festival of Lights is organised and delivered by New Plymouth District Council, while WinterFest is delivered by the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust. Both events are among the first tranche of national events to receive funding.
New Plymouth District mayor Max Brough says the funding highlights the value of collaboration between central and local government and regional event organisers.
“These events play a vital role in showcasing Taranaki on both the national and international stage, but the challenge for organisers is how to continue to grow and develop them with limited budgets and resources.
“Both these events bring a lot of people to our district and contribute significantly to the local economy, so this funding will help support continued growth and visitation and strengthen our local economy,” says Max.
Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki general manager destination Janet Reynolds says the investment reinforces the economic contribution of major events.
“Major events are proven economic drivers. They fill beds, fill tables, and generate spend across our visitor economy and beyond as eventgoers stay to explore everything Taranaki has to offer,” says Janet.
Taranaki Arts Festival Trust chief executive Suzanne Porter says the funding will support WinterFest’s reach into new markets.
“WinterFest will light up the quieter months and give people a compelling reason to visit Taranaki in winter. This support enables us to extend our promotional reach into new markets, elevate the visitor experience and deliver strong returns for the region’s hospitality, retail and accommodation sectors,” says Suzanne.
Janet says Venture Taranaki will work alongside New Plymouth District Council and the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust to promote the events beyond the region.
“Australia remains a key growth audience for us, and aligning event marketing with our broader destination activity will build awareness and strengthen Taranaki’s positioning to high-value Australian audiences,” she says.
The funding complements Venture Taranaki’s wider regional promotion activity, including media partnerships, digital campaigns and offshore trade engagement, as well as the One Flight campaign delivered in partnership with Hamilton & Waikato Tourism, Love Taupō and Visit Ruapehu to leverage improved air connectivity into the central North Island.
