Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) is on track to achieve a record-breaking year for international business event bids, with fresh government funding now fuelling an even more ambitious outlook for FY26.
Speaking at Meetings 2025, the country’s flagship tradeshow for business events, TNZ’s chief executive René de Monchy announced a bold target of 110 large-scale international business event bids next financial year, projected to generate NZ$185 million (US$111.4 million) in economic value.
The new goal builds on a strong FY25 performance, where TNZ is expected to hit its stretch target of 110 bids valued at NZ$170 million, a jump from the original goal of 90 bids worth NZ$140 million.
The better-than-expected performance was made possible by a NZ$3 million funding boost announced in March 2025.
The new event bid goals were unveiled after the New Zealand government confirmed a further NZ$3 million investment in business events for FY26 on Tuesday, reinforcing confidence in the sector’s value and TNZ’s delivery capacity.
“This additional Tourism Boost funding is a strong vote of confidence in the work we do,” said de Monchy. “It has allowed us to do more and move faster, and with a full year ahead to pursue larger and higher-value events, we’re focused on building further momentum.”
TNZ’s business events conversion target remains at 60 per cent, and de Monchy noted the organisation is “confident we will hit those numbers,” citing “great momentum” in the current pipeline.
Recent market research positions New Zealand as a “high-desire” destination for international events, thanks to its reputation as safe, welcoming and politically stable.
However, de Monchy acknowledged that lingering perceptions around geographic accessibility continue to pose a challenge. “There is still a view that New Zealand is hard to get to. We are working hard to shift that perception and it’s important to continue identifying and supporting bid champions to make that happen.”
TNZ is expected to launch a new iteration of its 100% Pure New Zealand brand today (Thursday) before Meetings 2025 concludes at the Auckland Showgrounds.
The celebration party will see more than 700 guests gather at the Viaduct Events Centre, paying homage to the city’s sailing legacy with a nautical theme.
