The New Zealand Government has announced an additional NZ$1 million (US$572,555) investment to help attract international conferences, acknowledging business events as a key contributor to economic growth.
Tourism and hospitality minister Louise Upston unveiled the funding at Meetings 2026 in Auckland, saying it would support Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme, and help maintain a strong pipeline of international conferences.
“Business events are a high-value part of our visitor mix, bringing people who spend more, travel outside peak seasons, and help build skills and connections across our economy,” Upston said.
The minister said multi-day conferences generated NZ$925 million in economic activity in 2025. and delivered more than 735,000 international visitor nights.
The conference funding forms part of a wider NZ$5 million package announced by Upston, which also includes NZ$4 million to expand Tourism New Zealand’s marketing activity in Australia, the US and China.
Upston said international visitor arrivals has recovered to 94 per cent of 2019 levels, while overseas visitor spending had risen by NZ$2.5 billion to NZ$13.7 billion between March 2024 and March 2026.
“This shows our investment through Tourism New Zealand is paying off for Kiwis,” she said. “But today we’re putting the pedal to the metal, building on that momentum to drive growth, jobs and incomes.”
Tourism New Zealand’s global manager business events Penelope Ryan welcomed the additional investment, saying it would help New Zealand compete more effectively against rival destinations for international conferences.
“Many destinations around the world are well funded, so when we’re putting forward bids, we need to make sure we’re putting our best foot forward and presenting a comparable proposal,” Ryan told TTGmice.
The funding will be directed through Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme, which provides financial support to help destinations and industry partners compete for international business events.
Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) chief executive Lisa Hopkins said the announcement was a further vote of confidence in the business events sector at a time when New Zealand has a strong network of business event infrastructure in place.
“This investment will help bring more of the world’s expertise, ideas and influence to New Zealand,” said Hopkins.
“It’s an opportunity not only to attract more events, but to attract the right events that build our capability, strengthen our industries and connect New Zealand more closely to international networks and opportunities.”
The funding will be drawn from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy and will apply to the 2026/27 financial year.
