Supercars Drives Boost For Taupō District

Scoop

4 days ago

The ITM Taupō Super 440 leg of the Repco Supercars Championship in April 2025 brought a multi-million dollar boost to the local economy.
Taupō once again shone on the global stage with over 51,000 fans in attendance at Taupō International Motorsport Park and community events over the race weekend.
Visitors accounted for over 36,000 room nights, with thousands of people travelling from Australia and across New Zealand. While the full economic data is still being finalised, early indications suggest the event once again delivered a multi-million dollar benefit for the Taupō region.
The event placed a strong emphasis on sustainability and community values, reflected in the Track to Town event, vibrant storefront displays, and free park-and-ride buses that helped remove thousands of vehicles from the roads.
Sustainability efforts extended to waste management, with Closed Loop Environmental Solutions sorting over 250 cubic metres of waste during the race weekend. Separated glass and plastics, aluminium cans, and cardboard were diverted away from landfill and about 38 cubic metres of organic material was processed locally into vermicast by My Noke.
Taupō District is widely known as a destination for domestic and international tourism, and Taupō District Council events and venues manager Steve Giles said the success of this year's Supercars helps cement the district's place on the international stage.
'Supercars is a sporting event like nothing else. We enjoy working with them and it gives us a chance to show to the world not only our unique culture and hospitality, but what a place like Taupō can achieve' he said.
Almost 3000 media reports mentioned the event, reaching a cumulative audience of over 70 million people, while television audiences across 128 countries reached a cumulative average audience of over 1.1 million viewers.
In partnership with the Tauhara Hapū collective, local culture and heritage was prominent, with a haka on the grid prior to the first race. Local musician Tyree Wall sang the national anthem. Taupō artist Delani Brown's hand-carved trophies were formally blessed and gifted to Supercars during the pōwhiri at Te Ātea – Tapuaeharuru on Taupō's lakefront.
Taupō District Council's district events manager Sinead Vincent says the post-event report and figures reflect the immense effort behind the scenes, with the economic impact alone not to be underestimated.
'Local businesses and the community truly stepped up. Volunteers aged from 18 to 80 turned out in force to help make the event weekend a huge success.
'The benefits will ripple across the whole district, and the community should be proud of what has been accomplished,' she said.
Supercars racing in Taupō has been guaranteed until 2028 and the Repco Supercars Championship will return in 2026 with its first-ever trans-island double header.
Taupō will host Supercars from 10 to 12 April before they make their South Island debut at Ruapuna Raceway, Christchurch from 17 to 19 April 2026.