Emersons Dunedin Marathon among Dunedin events welcoming government funding

A New Zealand Government funding boost of more than $100,000 will provide welcome assistance to a group of renowned Dunedin events.

Dunedin City Council Team Leader – Events Dan Hendra notes “It’s great to see some of our city’s most popular events receiving this welcome funding boost, which will help ensure they continue to thrive.

“There is strong support for our city’s iconic events in our community, but they also attract visitors to our city who contribute to our city’s retail, accommodation and hospitality sectors, so this really is a win-win for Dunedin.”

The latest round of the Regional Events Promotion Fund, announced by NZ Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Louise Upston includes $113,643 for five Dunedin events:

• 2026 New Zealand Masters Games $40,000

• The Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival $30,000

• Wild Dunedin – NZ Festival of Nature $25,000

• Emersons Dunedin Marathon $10,000

• 2025 Port Chalmers Seafood Festival $8,643

Hendra says the funding will go towards marketing campaigns targeting other centres, showcasing Dunedin’s events to the country and encouraging people to visit.

“This sort of investment brings significant returns for host centres. It’s estimated for every $1 spent, there is an $3.20 economic return, so the announcement of this extra funding is a great result.

“The Enterprise Dunedin team has been working hard to deliver this successful outcome as part of our role to support local events and organisers, to help our events industry grow and be successful.

“As part of that, we’ve been working closely with event organisers over the past three months to ensure their applications aligned with our city vision, and that they were best placed for success, so we’re delighted.”

The funding announcement came on the same day the Dunedin City Council also voted – as part of 9 year plan 2025-34 deliberations – to confirm a $4.4 million budget increase over four years (starting in 2025/26) for festivals and events.

Image. Credit: Emersons Dunedin Marathon