More than $550,000 has been distributed to events in Fiordland and Southland since April this year from the government’s Regional Event funds administered by Great South .
A total of $180,000 has been distributed to 16 events in Southland and $359,500 distributed to 16 events in Fiordland, across two funding rounds.
The Southland fund is now exhausted, while there is $200,500 still available for events based in Fiordland.
There will be two more rounds for Fiordland events, the first closing 25 February, and the second on 26 August.
The fund was established by the government as part of its post COVID-19 Tourism Recovery package, to stimulate domestic tourism by supporting existing events or helping grow new events.
Great South GM Tourism and Events Bobbi Brown said it was pleasing to see some new applicants and some fresh thinking about attracting visitors to the region this round, as well as some bigger sporting events and conferences that would lure large numbers of visitors south.
Among the successful applicants for events in Southland were the Matariki Festival and the NZ Junior Motocross Championships.
Local events Hop’n’Vine and the Kepler Challenge and Luxmore Grunt were among the successful Fiordland events along with the Spirited Women adventure race in October 2022 and the NZ Rodeo Nationals in March 2023, that are each expected to attract more than 3000 visitors.
“Events like these will provide a much-needed boost to the Fiordland community.”
Independent investment panels assess applications for each fund. Four applications were declined in this latest round across the two funds.
Anyone with ideas for events in Fiordland should get in touch now, Mrs Brown said.
Successful Applicants:
Fiordland Regional Events Fund:
Mitre 10 Te Anau 10km
IMSANZ Conference 2022
Hop'n'Vine Te Anau
Men’s Muster Fiordland
Savour the South
Te Anau Tartan Festival
Kepler Challenge & Luxmore Grunt
New Zealand Rodeo Cowboys Association National Finals Rodeo
Spirited Women - All Women’s Adventure Race
Southland Regional Events Fund:
Matariki Festival
National Council of Women Conference
New Zealand Junior Motocross Nationals
NZ Gymnastics Championships
Burt Munro Challenge
Kids Racing E-Sports Event
Bluff Seafood and Oyster Festival
Cycling New Zealand Secondary Schools National Mountain Bike Championships
Burning Horse Festival
NZ Power Boat Association Annual Conference
New Zealand Leisure Marching
South Island Colgate Games