Government invests $13.5 million in bid to attract 72,000 more visitors to NZ
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said $13.5 million in funding would help to target the core markets of Australia, the United States and China over the next few years.
"This investment is expected to generate around $300 million in spending, which is a very strong return on investment," she said.
"International visitor numbers continue to climb and this boost will help drive further economic growth throughout the entire country."
Less than two months ago, she announced a
separate $13.5 million boost
for Tourism New Zealand to fund marketing in the shorter term, with the aims of attracting an extra 23,000 international visitors by the end of March 2026 and bringing in an additional $100 million.
The
international visitor levy
- which was nearly tripled last year - is covering the costs for both.
"We know how important marketing is to attract visitors, with around 14 percent of international holiday visitors directly influenced by Tourism New Zealand's marketing activity," Upston said.
"We want people to know New Zealand is
open for business
and we welcome visitors with open arms."
She described the funding as the first investment in the government's
Tourism Growth Roadmap
, which outlines the initiatives to help the government and industry double the value of tourism exports by 2034.
"We know how important marketing is to attract visitors, with around 14 percent of international holiday visitors directly influenced by Tourism New Zealand's marketing activity," Upston said.
Last year, Tourism New Zealand unveiled an ambitious strategy to
grow tourism
by $5 billion by attracting more visitors outside of summer over four years.
It aimed to grow international tourism spend by 8.7 percent, or an additional $900 million in the strategy's first year.
February marked the largest number of American visitors that Aotearoa had ever recorded in a month.
At tourism conference TRENZ last month, Tourism New Zealand chief executive René de Monchy said that had been buoyed by airlines opening up new routes, a tailwind of a strong American dollar and focused marketing, and the outlook for American visitors remained really positive.
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RNZ News
29 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Mediawatch: RNZ flags changes to claw back listeners
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly It's not news that RNZ National has been losing listeners in recent years. It's been mostly downhill year-on-year since 2019 when over 616,000 people a week were tuning in. This year it has dropped to below 470,000. This week RNZ staff were told that efforts to shore that up have not worked so far - and now there's a new plan underway. "We now need to take a different approach," RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson said. RNZ is appointing a Chief Audio Officer to oversee it and targeting half a million RNZ National listeners by November next year - and another 20,000 one year later. RNZ's target audience will now be "broadly 50-69, male and female" and RNZ National staff will be given data to "better tailor the station to their preferences," Thompson said. "Growing the presence in Auckland" is also a key part of the new strategy. RNZ is moving its Auckland operation into TVNZ's central Auckland premises later this year and now plans to host more radio and production roles there. The new plan is in part influenced by a review carried out by former head of news Richard Sutherland, who left RNZ in July 2023. "I asked him to be frank and robust, and that is what has been delivered," Thompson said when RNZ released it this week after Official Information Act requests. Sutherland certainly has. He warned that if people stop listening it "feeds the idea RNZ is sliding into irrelevance." "Irrelevant stuff gets switched off," he added. He said Auckland must be treated as "the strategic centre of gravity" rather than Wellington. "While the capital remains politically important, the views and preferences of its residents are the tail wagging the RNZ national dog," he wrote. Sutherland's good news for RNZ that he said it has "strengths that provide a foundation for renewal". He cited credible news, trust, and recognition - and public service commercial-free content that's available on many platforms and shared with other media. But he said there was a lack of understanding of the audience within RNZ National as well as a lack of cohesion and urgency. After candid 'no notes' conversations with around 50 staff, he concluded there was "blameshifting" and "low ambition" among staff. He also cited a widespread belief that live listening was a "sunset activity" - and that needed to be stamped out from the top at RNZ. He concluded RNZ National was "trying to please everyone" but it should target people over 50, and primarily 50-69 year olds. "Nuance can wait," Sutherland said, recognising that approach sounded blunt. Sutherland also said - very bluntly - "some people should not be on air". He didn't say who, but he did say RNZ needs one front-rank daytime host from outside urgently - and also an "urgent audit" of its on-air staff. Sutherland's review says key RNZ National time slots should be refreshed "where existing presenters don't align with the target audience." RNZ has told staff there will be "a strong focus on lifting on-air standards" and it is expanding presentation training and running more 'air checks' of the existing output. While some of Sutherland's recommendations align with RNZ's new strategy, RNZ said it was "just one input". The yet-to-be appointed Chief Audio Officer will determine whether Sutherland's other urgings are actioned. But not for nothing did RNZ pay $30,000 for what Thompson - also RNZ's editor-in-chief - described as "an actionable high-level blueprint to turn the station around". RNZ's briefing to staff also said the plan is "not about reducing kaimahi numbers". But it also said "every part of RNZ National needs to work for the available audience - and will be reviewed to ensure that is the case". "This may mean that some programmes or shows are discontinued." Sutherland's review recommended Morning Report and key staff should relocate fully to Auckland, something RNZ said was already underway. On-air changes introduced to Morning Report this month include shorter news bulletins, more conversational treatments of sport, rural and business news, a weekly chief executive officer interview and sports discussion panel, and a head-to-head with opposing MPs every Wednesday. The programme now features fewer recorded and live news interviews, though that varies depending on when news breaks and develops. A sign of further things to come elsewhere on air under the new audio plan, perhaps. Sutherland urged RNZ's top brass to ignore the criticism and opposition his sweeping changes would inevitably spark. Mediawatch asked to speak to Sutherland about his blunt review of his former employer. He deferred to Thompson who also declined. Storm Day, Accenture Song's NZ Lead. Photo: supplied More than ever, broadcasters seeking to retain or boost audiences need to give them what they want. But what people expect is harder to gauge now that people can choose from public and commercial radio networks, commercial TV channels, social media platforms, and global video streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+. Consultancy business Accenture Song has just released its second annual Brand Experience Gap study putting numbers on the gap between what 80 different New Zealand businesses promise - and what the punters reckon they deliver. Out of six different sectors, media and entertainment companies recorded the biggest gap - 79 percent - in the survey of 1500 people. "The gap is the difference between what a brand promises and what customers actually experience. When the gap is small customers feel valued and are more loyal. And when that gap is wide, trust erodes and people just walk away," Accenture Song's New Zealand lead Storm Day told Mediawatch . The survey does not name specific media outlets or individual scores for them, but Day told Mediawatch it covered streaming services, pay TV, free-to-air broadcasters, online news publishers, and radio audio streaming providers. "The sample is representative of all the major players in New Zealand," she said. "The industry average across all sectors is sitting at 72 percent - so I'm afraid the media and the entertainment sector is our worst performing one. Seventy-nine percent say that media providers are not delivering on their promises, which is pretty scary." Most surveys of trust in news and media are based on peoples' perceptions. Respondents' disapproval of specific practices - such as oft-cited 'sensationalism' - seems to sour their opinion of the entire media. Likewise, those who get news mixed in with other content via social media are much less likely to trust the news overall. "I think that's always at play. Audiences don't always separate the ecosystem in the same way that the industry does," Day told Mediawatch . "If they have a bad experience, whether it's with a regulated newsroom or a global online platform, it really does colour how they view the whole sector. It means that regulated media can't rely on standards alone. "To protect their reputation, they have to keep proving value and trust through the experience they deliver every day. "That's why it's even more important that we actually deliver on trust and think about the customer, not just standards or regulations." Day said regularly refreshing content, offering high quality exclusive content, and ease of access across devices were things people cited for securing their loyalty. A higher number of people said they were getting high quality stuff from our media companies. But the survey also recorded an 81 percent gap in belief that media outlets report with fairness and impartiality. "The biggest gap was people feeling valued and recognised, which tells us that audiences feel quite anonymous and not engaged. Trust was also really fragile. There was an 84 percent gap around acting with honesty, integrity, and keeping promises. "For an industry built on credibility, that's a major risk. But it's also a place where decisive action can make a big difference. Things like clickbait and transparency are really key things to address." Could big changes at RNZ end up widening the 'brand experience' gap? "Purpose... is a great way to galvanise a business reset. Secondly, so is moving beyond just delivering content to actually genuinely recognising audiences. You can use technology in service of that... to genuinely personalise what we're putting out there and actively engage with people. "AI can be used to personalise content and discovery - and flag relevant content and programming. And for local broadcasters especially, making your contribution to New Zealand really visible. Telling people what you're doing and how you're doing it... needs to work hand in hand to build that trust and connection with people." Dr Merja Myllylahti and Dr Greg Treadwell from the AUT's Centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy. Photo: RNZ / Jeremy Ansell Does the Accenture Song survey show the media's reputation rises and falls together - and no one outlet could buck the trend on its own anyway? "I think this sector has had a really tough year. Economic climate as well has a massive influence on the gap. When people are kind of under stress, they really are much more selective about where they spend their money, where they spend their time." But this week, the authors of the most comprehensive survey of trust in New Zealand media said it shows news media can't simply blame 'bad times' and general cynicism for slumping results. "News isn't just another institution like the state, a corporation or a non-profit organisation," said Greg Treadwell and Merja Myllylahti from Auckland University of Technology's Centre for Journalism, Media And Democracy. "We found the trajectories of trust levels for other social institutions - governments, business, NGOs - showed clear links to each other as they rose and fell, more or less in sync, over time. "Trust in news however, has been in its own lane. A fall in trust in government and politics, in other words, is not a predictor of a fall in trust in news," they wrote in The Conversation . "Survey respondents tell us they perceive the news to be politically biased (both left and right), and because too much seems to be opinion masquerading as news. "It seems the trust problems democracies have with their news services need to be addressed on their own terms, not as part of an overall picture." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Donald Trump tells Volodymyr Zelensky Russia is 'very big power' and Ukraine isn't
By Steve Holland, Andrew Osborn and Tom Balmforth , Reuters President Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to end its war in Ukraine or suffer severe economic punishment expires 8 August, but it's unclear how he plans to proceed amid new efforts toward a summit with Vladimir Putin and delicate trade negotiations with China. Photo: Reuters/Getty Images via CNN Newsource US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (local time) Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because "Russia is a very big power, and "they're not", after hosting a summit where Vladimir Putin was reported to have demanded more Ukrainian land. In a subsequent briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a source familiar with the discussion cited Trump as saying the Russian leader had offered to freeze most front lines if Kyiv's forces ceded all of Donetsk, the industrial region that is one of Moscow's main targets. Zelensky rejected the demand, the source said. 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"It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," Trump posted on Truth Social. His various comments on the meeting mostly aligned with the public positions of Moscow, which says it wants a full settlement - not a pause - but that this will be complex because positions are "diametrically opposed". Russia has been gradually advancing for months. The war - the deadliest in Europe for 80 years - has killed or wounded well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts. Before the summit, Trump had said he would not be happy unless a ceasefire was agreed on. But afterwards he said that, after Monday's talks with Zelensky, "if all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin". Those talks will evoke memories of a meeting in the White House Oval Office in February, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance gave Zelensky a brutal public dressing-down . Zelensky said he was willing to meet Putin. But Putin signalled no movement in Russia's long-held demands, which also include a veto on membership of the NATO alliance, and made no mention in public of meeting Zelensky. His aide Yuri Ushakov said a three-way summit had not been discussed. In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump signalled that he and Putin had discussed land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and had "largely agreed". "I think we're pretty close to a deal," he said, adding: "Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say 'no'." Asked what he would advise Zelensky to do, Trump said: "Gotta make a deal." "Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not," he added. Zelensky has consistently said he cannot concede territory without changes to Ukraine's constitution, and Kyiv sees Donetsk's "fortress cities" such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk as a bulwark against Russian advances into even more regions. Zelensky has also insisted on security guarantees, to deter Russia from invading again in the future. He said he and Trump had discussed "positive signals from the American side" on taking part, and that Ukraine needed a lasting peace, not "just another pause" between Russian invasions. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the most interesting developments concerned security guarantees - inspired by NATO's Article 5. "The starting point of the proposal is the definition of a collective security clause that would allow Ukraine to benefit from the support of all its partners, including the US, ready to take action in case it is attacked again," she said. Putin, who has hitherto opposed involving foreign ground forces, said he agreed with Trump that Ukraine's security must be "ensured". "I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine," Putin told a briefing where neither leader took questions. "We expect that Kyiv and the European capitals... will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress..." For Putin, the very fact of sitting down with Trump represented a victory. He had been ostracised by Western leaders since the start of the war, and just a week earlier had faced a threat of new sanctions from Trump . Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) walks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in the garden of 10 Downing Street in central London, on 14 August, 2025. Photo: BEN STANSALL / POOL / AFP Trump also spoke to European leaders after returning to Washington. Several stressed the need to keep pressure on Russia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said an end to the war was closer than ever, thanks to Trump, but added: "... until [Putin] stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions." A statement from European leaders said "Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees" and that no limits should be placed on its armed forces or right to seek NATO membership - key Russian demands. Some European politicians and commentators were scathing. "Putin got his red carpet treatment with Trump, while Trump got nothing. As feared: no ceasefire, no peace," Wolfgang Ischinger, former German ambassador to Washington, posted on X. "No real progress ' a clear 1-0 for Putin ' no new sanctions. For the Ukrainians: nothing. For Europe: deeply disappointing." Both Russia and Ukraine carried out overnight air attacks, a daily occurrence, while fighting raged on the front. Trump told Fox he would postpone imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil, but that he might have to "think about it" in two or three weeks. He ended his remarks after the summit by telling Putin: "We'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon." "Next time in Moscow," a smiling Putin responded in English. Trump said he might "get a little heat on that one" but that he could "possibly see it happening". - Reuters
NZ Herald
4 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Shane Te Pou: 6 ways Christopher Luxon can save his Prime Ministership
Luxon spent enough time in corporate management to know that a CEO delivering numbers like that is in danger of getting the chop. He also likes to boast of his credentials in doing 'turnaround jobs'. Well, he needs one now. So, how can Luxon get his Prime Ministership 'back on track'? It's the economy, stupid New Zealand's economy isn't just bad – it's one of the worst in the developed world. We had a deep recession last year; other countries did not. And we're looking at round two. Partly, that's due to the Government suddenly cancelling, delaying or scaling back a bunch of infrastructure work, which contributed to the large loss of construction jobs. Partially, it's soaring energy prices killing our manufacturing sector. You can launch all the policies with energetic names like Investment Boost and Going for Growth you like; it doesn't matter if none of them move the needle. You spend your time trying to blame Labour for spending during a pandemic, while borrowing even more yourself for tax cuts; it doesn't create a single job. You can't spin away a crisis. It's time to take this seriously. Increase government investment and fix the energy shortage. Talk to us like adults You can practically hear the groans across the suburbs each Monday morning as Luxon whines 'well, what I would just say to you is' before repeating the same old talking points on his weekly media round. You're not trying to sell us soap, Mr Luxon. Show us you have a brain and treat us like we have brains, too. Give us genuine, considered thoughts and answers on the issues facing New Zealand. Is Christopher Luxon looking likely to be the first National Prime Minister to last only one term? Photo / Mark Mitchell Have a heart Before the National Party conference, party president Sylvia Wood said the problem is voters aren't seeing Luxon's 'humanity'. I agree. It's hard to see the humanity when he labels poor New Zealanders as 'bottom-feeders', scraps the pay equity process for 180,000 low-income workers and restricts access to emergency housing. If he is a humane guy, it's time to show it. As a Christian, Luxon must know Matthew 7:16: 'By their deeds you will know them.' Spend more time at home When Luxon said he was going to be a Prime Minister who didn't spend a lot of time inside the Wellington beltway, I don't think many of us realised just how far away he planned to be. I'm a man who likes to travel, but Luxon is taking it too far. At least one overseas trip a month, often on some pretty thin premises (what was he doing in Papua New Guinea the other week?) and with very little to show for it in diplomatic outcomes. Spend less time in the Koru Club and more time at the desk. Don't be afraid to change direction No one could accuse Luxon and his ministers of lacking self-confidence. They've ripped up ferry contracts, water reforms, light rail plans, the state house building programme, the RMA Act, the NCEA and more – all with the blithe assumption that they'll come up with something better. It's not exactly working out great, eh? Maybe it's time to revisit some of those impulsive decisions. Maybe it wasn't a great idea to borrow $14 billion for tax cuts and increase the Government's debt. Maybe, it's time to have the humility to adopt some of the Opposition's ideas, rather than reflexively scoffing at them. Pull the minor parties into line Luxon failed from the start to exert any authority over Act and New Zealand First's ministers. Casey Costello's dealings with tobacco companies should've seen her sacked. Karen Chhour's bootcamps disgrace would normally see the portfolio taken off her. Luxon's done nothing. Yeah, Winston Peters and David Seymour can threaten to pull down the Government if Luxon disciplines their ministers. But would they? It would cost them more than him. Have some guts – look them in the eye and see who blinks first. All is not lost for Luxon. But he's looking more and more likely to be the first National PM to last only one term, or less, unless he changes his ways.
