Ministers picked the winners of ‘invitation only’ $40m events fund - and only one was in the South Island

Monday, 13 April 2026

A $40 million Government fund to attract major events to New Zealand was run through a closed, non-contestable process, with an independent panel shortlisting events and ministers making the final decisions.

Newly released Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment papers show the Events Attraction Package was designed as an “invitation-only” process using direct engagement with promoters and rights holders, with final decisions delegated to the Minister of Finance Nicola Willis and Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Louise Upston.

The Events Attraction Package, announced last year, sat alongside, rather than replaced, the Government’s other major-events funding channels.

Events announced so far under the package have been heavily weighted towards Auckland, with only one of the six in the South Island.

Three of the six events listed to date are in Auckland alone - Linkin Park, the FIFA World Series and the International Football Festival - while Robbie Williams includes both Auckland and Christchurch. Outside Auckland, the only other events named so far are the Ultra Music Festival in Wellington and the WSL Championship Tour in Raglan.

The Government will not disclose how much public money went to each event, saying the deals are commercially sensitive.

MBIE’s own papers warned there could be confusion because the existing Major Events Fund, the new Event Boost Fund, and the Events Attraction Package were operating at once.

For example, Six60 and Synthony’s Christchurch show was backed by the Events Boost Fund.

The Events Attraction Package was not a normal open funding round. It was not open to applications. Instead, shortlisted events were invited to submit business cases before ministers made the final call.

Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said it was “a very different process” from the more structured way central government usually supported major events. “I think it’s quite subjective,” she said. “Subjectivity isn’t always fair.”

Harvie-Teare said venues and cities did not apply directly for the fund. Promoters brought proposals to host cities and venues, which worked through availability, likely economic benefit and what local contribution could be offered before promoters sought Government support.

She said the model risked creating “an unhelpful precedent” because the Crown was now covering up to 75% of event costs, rather than the more usual 50%, potentially lifting expectations beyond what cities and venues could afford in future.

Treasury also raised concerns about whether the package had strong enough evidence to show it would genuinely bring in more visitors and boost growth — rather than just shift existing travel.

The package was built at speed. MBIE’s September 2025 briefing set out a compressed timetable, with officials and advisers to identify potential events through September, refine the list in October and begin contracting in early November.

Treasury material shows officials were still reworking the wider package as it was heading to Cabinet.

The $40m headline for the Events Attraction Package was not entirely new money.

Cabinet papers show $15 million from future tourism levy funding was brought forward to help pay for the Events Attraction Package, rather than being left for later tourism strategic infrastructure. The remaining $25m charged against the between-Budget contingency.

Upston said the process for the Events Attraction Package was closed by design, not an open funding round. She said MBIE and industry experts drew up a long list of possible events, an independent advisory panel then shortlisted events to submit business cases, and the Government made the final decisions.

She said a cost-benefit analysis was used in the assessment process and MBIE would report on the package’s overall impact once the events had been completed.