Tourism New Zealand invited 50 international tastemakers to a pop-up restaurant under the Canterbury high country stars as part of a $1.4m campaign.
Tourism New Zealand invited 50 international tastemakers to a pop-up restaurant under the Canterbury high country stars as part of a $1.4m campaign.
A “stargrazing” campaign centred on an extravagant crayfish and pāua dinner for 50 overseas influencers at a pop-up outdoor restaurant in Canterbury’s high country has cost Tourism New Zealand about $1.4 million.
The preliminary figure - expected to be further refined by mid-September - doesnot include a breakdown of payments to specific guests.
Rene de Monchy, Tourism New Zealand’s chief executive, confirmed there were “talent” costs involved in flying in 50 international media, tastemakers, and social media advocates from key tourism markets - but said any individual fees were commercially sensitive.
In the past fortnight, “paid partnership” tagged posts have begun to appear on social media accounts from Australia to Scotland and beyond.
They show guests arriving at a fine-dining style restaurant set up by award-winning chef Ben Bayly under the stars at Kura Tawhiti, Castle Hill, 100km inland from Christchurch.
“We started with a pāua or abalone pie, then had a barbecued beef wagyu skewer with perigord truffles, this was very juicy and decadent,” posted Jessica Nguyen, an Australian food Instagrammer. “Then Fiordland crayfish were grilled on the half shell with blue cod mousseline, black garlic and rosemary . . .”
The pop-up restaurant at Castle Hill, as seen in daylight.
The menu at Pou-o-Kai (a name gifted by mana whenua Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri) included hāngi lamb and a play on pineapple lumps. At one point, diners were provided with heated cutlery and given hot water bottles to combat the cold.
“I quite literally travelled across the world to New Zealand by myself to experience this meal,” wrote Millie Stephenson, a United Kingdom-based wellness influencer. “The cosy vibes were off the scale. I was stargazing with my hot water bottle on me, listening to the guitar playing . . .”
MasterChef Australia judge and food writer Sofia Levin posted: “If a three-Michelin-starred restaurant showcases ‘exceptional cuisine worth a special journey’, how do you classify this magical dinner beneath billions of stars?”
Tourism New Zealand says more than 200 pieces of content have already been published as a result of the campaign that it expects will ultimately deliver the equivalent of $29m worth of advertising value.
De Monchy said the $1.4m estimated spend included agency costs, guest and famil travel, the development and production of the event and content, and talent.
“With this campaign, we’re proving that our cuisine is worthy of a star, or a billion, while showcasing New Zealand’s fantastic dark skies and winter experiences,” de Monchy said.
Consumer research had shown the country’s “dark sky” offering was increasingly important to 70% of potential visitors who would travel here off-peak (March-November). Food was the number one topic of interest for 85% of potential travellers from top markets.
Some 43 of the stargrazing campaign’s international attendees had gone on to travel throughout New Zealand, said de Monchy, on itineraries that Tourism New Zealand had worked on with local regional tourism organisations.
“In total across all the trips, 21 regions in New Zealand were visited and 240 food and beverage experiences, tourism operators, transport companies and accommodation providers were engaged.”
Add-on activities cited by De Monchy included: dining at Mapu (about $360 a head for food and matched drinks), and Amisfield ($690 per person for an evening meal with matched vintage wines); and experiencing Wellington on a Plate; Auckland Restaurant Month; Marlborough Tour Company; Seafood Odyssea Cruise; and Āmiki Cultural Food Tours.
Chef Ben Bayly at work in the Pou-o-Kai pop-up restaurant created by Tourism New Zealand for 50 international "stargrazing" guests.
The stargrazing campaign had already received media attention in Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan. A “hero” video had earned more than 4.9 million impressions and reached almost 2.7 million people.
On Instagram, Bayly, whose Auckland restaurant Ahi was this week named the Cuisine Good Food Award’s Restaurant of the Year, said defining and articulating New Zealand hospitality had never been more important.
“Our unique form of manaakitanga really separates us from the rest of the world and our Kiwi restaurants are at the coal face - ambassadors of our cuisine. We all must dream about what impact New Zealand hospitality can make on the world stage.”
Tourism is New Zealand’s second-largest export earner, generating $11.2 billion in the year to March 2024. Stats NZ figures from last month showed the number of overseas tourists was currently running at 83% of pre-Covid highs in 2019.
Kim Knight is a senior journalist with the New Zealand Herald’s Premium Lifestyle team.
