The tourism and hospitality minister has announced a new $70 million major events fund – $40 million of which is specifically earmarked for promoters of concerts and festivals. Chris Schulz is cautiously optimistic.
This story was originally published on the Boiler Room Substack.
Just two months ago, the government’s tourism and hospitality minister Louise Upston said something that made my blood boil. The rage began when Upston announced a $5 million boost for major events but specifically omitted concerts and festivals from eligibility. When asked why, Upston told RNZ this: “[We] need to be realistic about whether concerts generate economic value for New Zealand,” she said. “Some may generate an economic boost for the region where they’re held, however overall, the profit tends to go offshore.” For obvious reasons, I was real mad about that.
Yesterday, Upston issued a press release that proved she’d completely changed her tune. “Major events, whether they are sports showdowns, the world’s most popular artists or well-loved favourites, can be a bonanza for the cities and regions which host them, supporting local jobs and incomes in the hospitality and retail sectors and beyond,” she said. “That’s why we are significantly increasing government investment in the events sector and opening it up to a wider range of opportunities, including concerts which haven’t previously been eligible for funding.”
Upston put her money where her mouth is. She confirmed a new $70 million major events fund, $40 million of which is specifically earmarked for promoters of concerts and festivals. I’m not joking. You couldn’t make this up. The U-turn is real, it’s true and it’s happening. It all kicks off in 2026. “We know big events deliver,” Upston said, again contradicting her earlier comments. She cited recent Coldplay and Pearl Jam stadium shows as events that generated huge bursts of economic activity. “We want to see more action like that and we are stepping up with incentives to promoters to make it happen.”
As weird as it is to hear a National government minister publish the words “Pearl Jam” in a press release (here’s why), this is an astonishing about-face. For months I have been ranting and raving and whining and hollering about all of the major acts that are no longer choosing to tour Aotearoa. There were so many I had to rank them all. Promoters have been begging for help too. Just two weeks ago, touring juggernaut Live Nation fronted up for the first time, calling the job of persuading artists to tour here a “grind” and pleading for the kind of assistance available to Australian promoters. Yet, until Upston’s announcement yesterday, there was no help to be had.
So here we are. We did it. It happened. Finally, the government is doing something about this completely idiotic and unnecessary situation. The reaction has been nothing short of revelatory. “This will be welcomed by all promoters … we will be out in market as of this afternoon talking to promoters in both New Zealand and Australia,” Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner told Stuff. The general manager for the New Zealand Events Association Elaine Linnell agreed, calling it a “fantastic day for the industry”. “The inclusion of concerts is a game-changer, giving parts of our sector that have long missed out on public funding the chance to thrive,” she said.
The headlines this story generated on a Sunday afternoon still being dominated by the deaths of Tom Phillips, Charlie Kirk and the All Blacks’ aura were astonishing. It even made last night’s One News broadcast.
How this works IRL will take time to sift through. The details still sound like they’re being ironed out. I’m not popping any champagne corks just yet because the damage is already done. Problematic touring trends are well underway. There’s a huge drought ahead of us. In one week in December, Melbourne is getting more festivals and stadium shows than Tāmaki Makaurau is getting across all of 2025. It’s too late to persuade Kendrick Lamar, Oasis or Lady Gaga to come. Billie Eilish, Green Day and Kylie Minogue have been and gone. These things are booked years in advance, so we’ve probably missed out on 2026’s entire stadium cycle too.
But $40 million is something. It’s way more than the $10 million fund that was initially rumoured by The Post. But the change in attitude is even more important than the money. Two months ago, Upston didn’t even sound like she wanted concerts and festivals to come to Aotearoa at all. Yesterday, Taylor Swift’s biggest fan, prime minister Christopher Luxon, admitted New Zealand has “not been doing enough” to lure acts here.
You can’t fix a problem unless you admit there is one. There are a lot of steps still to take, but that first one just might be the biggest.
