Tourism NZ gets $13.5m to attract more visitors - China, Australia, US key targets

The Government is pumping $13.5 million into Tourism New Zealand to encourage more international visitors to travel to Aotearoa.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the change at the SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland this afternoon.

The Government says the injection is forecast to result in more than 23,000 additional international visitors, who would spend an extra $100 million across the country.

The investment will have a focus on encouraging visitors from China, Australia, the United States, India, Germany and South Korea.

“We know international marketing works, with around 14% of international holiday visitors already being directly influenced by Tourism NZ’s marketing activity,” said Tourism Minister Louise Upston.

“We want to grow that influence. Our international visitor spending and visitor numbers have been rebuilding strongly, and we must make the most of that momentum.”

Earlier this year, the Government announced the ‘Everyone Must Go!’ campaign focused on Australia.

“2025 is our chance to reinforce the value of tourism and show what our humming, vibrant country has on show. New Zealand tourism is open for business,” said Upston.

“We already know our country has so much going for it. Now we need the global marketing to push that story even wider.”

It comes as Luxon denies there is disagreement between him and his Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, over language used in response to US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.

Story continues after live blog

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14 April, 02:33 am

Luxon tourism announcement

• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is making a tourism announcement at the SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland. 
•  The press conference will be livestreamed above at about 3.45pm.
•  It comes as Luxon denies there is disagreement between him and his Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, over language used in response to US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. 

Pinned

14 April, 04:18 am

Luxon not worried about Peters going rogue

Luxon doesn't have any worries about Peters going rogue when he hands over the deputy Prime Minister role. 

He says there is a lot that unites the three coalition parties, even if there are some different views on some topics.

Luxon says conversations with world leaders is about advocating for free trade. 

Successive governments have had the views that free trade is valuable for the New Zealand economy, he says. 

It is important to make the case for it, and for leaders to be mature, calm and collected. 

Asked why he is still calling it a "trade war" despite Winston Peters' criticisms, Luxon says he is making the point that tariffs and trade wars are bad and the Cabinet is aligned on that.

Asked if National was ready for an election this side of Christmas, Luxon says it is a "politics beltway" conversation and they should "get out of Wellington a little bit more", despite the press conference and reporter being based in Auckland. 

He said the election will be in 2026 and National is focused on delivering for New Zealanders.

Luxon says he talks with world leaders all the time and has relationships with many. Those conversations are ongoing, he says. 

Asked if he had apologised to Winston Peters for not consulting over his trade talks, Luxon says no and repeats this is a "media beat-up" and media are trying to make something out of nothing.

And that's the end of the press conference.

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14 April, 04:14 am

Story just a media beat-up - Luxon

He maintains there is a "very strong" Cabinet alignment on this topic. 

"We are very, very aligned around that," he says. 

Luxon says not every speech will be passed between every minister. 

Luxon says Peters is doing a great job in the Foreign Affairs role and repeats that it is a "media beat-up". 

"We talk to each other all the time," Luxon says. 

We are a good team and very aligned, he repeats. 

Our response as a leadership team has been excellent "relative to what we have seen from other leaders, who have often been jumped around and moved quite a lot".

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14 April, 04:09 am

Normal not to consult with Peters on trade speech - Luxon

Asked why he didn't consult Winston Peters about his trade speech last week, Luxon says there are about five ministers involved in the trade agenda and it is normal for him not to consult on every single speech. 

He said there was a good Cabinet conversation and the five ministers had a consistent position on tariffs and "trade war".

They are not in New Zealand's interest and there needs to be a "cool, calm and collected" approach, he says. 

New Zealand needs a constructive relationship with the United States, he adds. 

In his conversations with world leaders, he's been understanding their approach to the developments.

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14 April, 04:07 am

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Tourism Minister Louise Upston and Weta founder Sir Richard Taylor at Weta Workshop Unleashed

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14 April, 04:04 am

Tourists need to see NZ 'before they die'

Upston says the China market is sitting at 60% so there are some opportunities to develop that. There will be a specific campaign to increase that and other markets, she says. 

Asked what type of traveller the Government is focused on, Luxon says there are about 154 million people worldwide deemed 'active considerers' of a trip to New Zealand. 

It is the Government's role to make sure they travel to New Zealand "before they die", Luxon says.

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14 April, 04:01 am

Time to 'unleash' tourism, says Louise Upston

Tourism Minister Louise Upston says the Government wants to unleash the opportunities for tourists to come to New Zealand.

She says the sector will play a leading role in economic growth. 

The investment announced today will encourage more international visitors across multiple markets, including China, India, Germany and the United States. 

Tourism contributes 7.5% of GDP, she says, and is our second highest export earner. This campaign is about reinforcing Tourism New Zealand's global marketing and what our country has to offer. 

New Zealand tourism is open for business, Upston says.

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14 April, 03:58 am

Luxon thanks Weta, talks tourism

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon thanks Sir Richard Taylor and his Weta team on the tourism attraction they have built. 

He says the Government is making another announcement about tourism marketing. 

"We are obsessed with economic growth," he says. 

It is the only way Kiwis get higher incomes and have more jobs, he says. That helps pay for better public services.

He is now speaking about the $13.5 million tourism marketing investment, which will help bring in more than 23,000 extra international visitors to New Zealand, resulting in a $100 million boost to the economy. 

Luxon says we need more tourists visiting our shores and it is the Government's job to make sure the country is at the top of potential visitors' list. 

He says spending among tourists is currently up significantly.

Pinned

14 April, 02:33 am

Luxon tourism announcement

• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is making a tourism announcement at the SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland. 
•  The press conference will be livestreamed above at about 3.45pm.
•  It comes as Luxon denies there is disagreement between him and his Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, over language used in response to US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. 

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Speaking at the East-West Centre in Hawaii, Peters said it was an “uncertain and anxious” time in world affairs and there was often an urge to “react too quickly and too stridently”.

“In recent weeks, the tendency to hype up a debate about how international trade works into a black-and-white, polarising issue has been unfortunate and misguided.

“The use of military language – of a ‘trade war’, of the need to ‘fight’, of the imperative to form alliances in order to oppose the actions of one country – has at times come across as hysterical and short-sighted.”

Those terms are ones Luxon has recently used in reference to the trade tariffs and his desire to advocate internationally for free trade.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (left) and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. Photo / Mark Mitchell

In a speech on Thursday, Luxon concluded by stating free trade was “worth fighting for – and I’m up for that fight”.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB on Monday morning, Luxon said any suggestion he and Peters were on a different page was a “media beat-up”.

“Winston and I are actually saying the same thing – that we’ve been cool, calm, and collected in our response.”

Luxon last week discussed international trade with several world leaders, including Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos jnr, Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and European Union Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

In Luxon’s conversation with von der Leyen, the pair discussed the prospects for closer co-operation between the European Union and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which New Zealand was a member.

Peters, in his speech, cautioned against actions intended to “pick sides” or “form teams” amid an evolving trade landscape, advocating to “wait for the dust to settle before making choices we may later regret”.

He ended his address by promising he would “promote careful, pragmatic, quiet dialogue – aimed at de-escalation and practical problem-solving, rather than premature posturing”.