New Zealand Events Association to host their awards at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre

The New Zealand Event Awards (NZEA) will take place in the South Island on 9th November 2023, with Ōtautahi Christchurch winning the competitive Expression of Interest process which saw the city highlighting its attractions, including its world-class Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre.

This marks the first time in eight years the New Zealand Event Awards (NZEA) will take place in the South Island.

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is designed as the city’s ‘gathering place’ and is a key part of the city’s regeneration, catalysing growth and development and building lasting social, cultural, and economic connections between the region and the world.

ChristchurchNZ Head of Major Events Karena Finnie notes “Christchurch’s events industry is delighted to welcome our peers back to Ōtautahi to showcase our stunning brand-new city.

“The return of events has been especially important for our city, and with the awards occurring during our significant spring events campaign On Show, this is a great time to welcome the Awards back to the South Island.”

NZEA General Manager Elaine Linnell says going down South is an exciting prospect for the national awards and adds “our membership is nationwide, and Te Waipounamu plays host to an absolute wealth of local, regional, and national events every year. Coming together in their stomping ground to celebrate the success of all our members is a refreshing change, and we look forward to enjoying Southern hospitality while recognising the achievements of a vibrant and innovative industry.”

She notes the industry’s economic and cultural significance, driven largely by NZEA’s more than 1,000 members “Entertainment, learning, interaction, experience, celebration and more are all components of the events put on by our members throughout the year, adding to the experience of being Kiwi. And events, whether small local ones or large international exhibitions and festivals like Fieldays or Bread & Circus World Buskers Festival attract people and create substantial economic activity – probably more important in today’s climate than ever.”

Although industry-wide data is not available, Linnell says ‘spot checks’ provide a glimpse into the value of the events industry. For example, Regional Facilities Auckland calculated that the summer of 2019/20 events generated $53 million; This spring, ChristchurchNZ delivered its On Show campaign, generating an estimated $8.5 million in visitor spending from Major Events held from September to November.  The inaugural New Zealand SailGP coming to Whakaraupō, Lyttelton Harbour, in March is expected to bring an additional 10,000 visitor nights to Christchurch and generate a visitor spend of $3.2 million for the city.

As the country – and the world – finds its feet in a post-pandemic environment, NZEA and its members are working hard on delivering attractions and gatherings which help bring tourists back and dazzle the locals.

Linnell continues “This year’s events season is closer to a return to normal in recent memory; celebrating the awards in the world-class Te Pae venue will be a cherry on top.” She adds that NZEA is engaging with local suppliers in bringing the Awards event to life.

The NZEA Awards last visited the South Island when they were held at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch as the official conference dinner of the 2014 ETF conference. Since then, the Awards have taken place exclusively in Auckland. The organisers will announce Award Categories in March, with entries opening in April. The qualifying period will be from 6th April 2021 to 10th April 2023 (24 months), including nine Covid-impacted months