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A total of 132 events are set to receive a funding boost to help attract more New Zealanders to the regions throughout the year and grow the economy, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey has announced.
“Regional events large and small are excellent drawcards for New Zealanders to explore beyond the main centres and see what our beautiful country has to offer,” Doocey says.
“Successful new events include the Goldrush Multisport Event in Central Otago, the Taupo Classic Disc Golf Tournament in Taupo and the New Zealand Cider Festival in Nelson.
“Recurring events getting a top-up include the Owhiwa Oyster Festival in the Bay of Plenty, the Steampunk NZ Festival in Waitaki and the NZ Surf Life Saving Championships in Tairāwhiti.
“We want to ensure our support is targeted at events that Regional Tourism Organisations and councils have already identified as opportunities to attract more domestic visitors to their regions. The 132 events receiving funding have therefore been selected on their ability to encourage domestic visitors to explore beyond the main centres.
“This investment will boost visitation to the regions outside of the peak summer season, which, in turn, will help create a more sustainable tourism and hospitality sector across the entire country and year-round.
“The new Regional Events Promotion Fund was included in our 100-point Economic Plan and will help support our regions to maximise the value of tourism, which is currently our second largest export earner.
“The Government is committed to seeing the economy grow and to do that we need to grow tourism and enable regional and rural New Zealand to benefit from the economic opportunities of tourism.”
The first round of the Regional Events Promotion Fund attracted 242 applications from 28 RTOs or councils not represented by an RTO.
Applications for Round Two are expected to open in March 2025 to ensure events scheduled for July and early August 2025 can benefit from additional promotion.
