Major Events deliver more than $60 million in visitor spend for Wellington

Balanced events programme delivers stronger results for Wellington through a mix of annual favourites and new visitor drawcards.

A mix of high-profile one-off events, inaugural festivals and iconic annual favourites helped drive a standout year for WellingtonNZ's Major Events portfolio, delivering more than $60 million in visitor spend – a $4 million increase on the previous year – and attracting almost half a million attendees to the region. 

While anchor events such as World of WearableArt Show (WOW), Beervana and Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts remain key pillars of Wellington's calendar, the 2025-26 financial year highlighted the value of securing new and exclusive events that attract fresh audiences and generate additional and out-of-region visitation.

The Aotearoa-exclusive Wrexham AFC v Wellington Phoenix match, the return of the One New Zealand Warriors, an Ed Sheeran concert and the debut of ULTRA New Zealand all delivered significant spikes in spend across the year. 

WellingtonNZ Events & Experiences GM, Heidi Morton, says the results signify the importance of balancing established favourites with new opportunities. "Our major events programme is strongest when fan-favourite annual or bi-annual anchor events that the city is known for are complemented by new experiences that give people another reason to visit Wellington. 

"Events such as Wrexham, the Warriors, Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Golf Championship and ULTRA New Zealand brought new audiences into the region and generated significant visitor spend, while regular events such as WOW, Beervana and Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts also made strong contributions.” 

WellingtonNZ also recognises the government’s contribution to supporting events over the past year, via the $70 million Events & Tourism package. 

Head of Major Events, Tiana Rakete, says the impact for the capital was immediate. “The support enabled us to work proactively with promoters, venues and organisers to attract and secure events for the city. Many of the experiences Wellingtonians and visitors have enjoyed over the past year simply would not have happened without this investment. Central government backing is critical to ensuring Wellington remains a vibrant destination for Major Events.” 
 
The portfolio also continued to deliver strong social outcomes, achieving a 93% average satisfaction rate. In addition, 92% of local attendees agreed Major Events increase pride in Wellington, while 95% agreed they make Wellington a more enjoyable place to live.

"We know Major Events generate economic impact, but it’s also important to recognise that they create memorable experiences for residents and visitors, which contributes to the vibrancy of the region and makes people want to live here and visit again and again," says Tiana. 

Tiana says that the Major Events team works closely with many partners including WellingtonNZ’s Venues Wellington, Hnry Stadium, Cello Basin Reserve, Tākina Convention & Exhibition Centre, plus regional and national sports, arts and cultural organisations and promoters to deliver a diverse year-round calendar for the region.
 
“By combining major international sporting, music and cultural events with a broader mix of entertainment, business and community experiences, Wellington is able to offer events that cater to a wide variety of tastes, interests and budgets.” 

Mayor Andrew Little adds: “Major Events are crucial to Wellington’s economy and culture, both present and future, because they attract visitors, drive increased spend in hospo, retail and the arts sector, and help reinforce Wellington's identity as a vibrant cultural capital. 

“It’s factors like these that help attract the innovators and talent the capital needs to drive our future success. Sixty million dollars spent by half a million visitors is very welcome as our economic recovery gathers momentum.” 

Looking ahead, the region's spring and summer events pipeline is strong, including the Wellington Jazz Festival scheduled for October, High Tide back at Waitangi Park on 7 November, SYSTEM OF A DOWN’s exclusive at Hnry Stadium confirmed for 7 February  and plenty of summer cricket for the BLACK CAPS and WHITE FERNS. These events are anticipated to attract significant out-of-region visitation and continue Wellington's momentum as Aotearoa’s events capital. 

To find out more about upcoming events in Wellington, visit WellingtonNZ.com 

FY25-26 WellingtonNZ Major Events results at a glance: 
• $60,752,512 of new visitor spend
• 23 major event partnerships delivered
• 490,212 total attendance
• 289,457 local attendees
• 244,916 visitor bed nights
• 93% average attendee satisfaction
• 92% agree major events increase pride in Wellington
• 95% agree major events make Wellington a more enjoyable place to live