Wellington & Wairarapa

Porirua District Council has declined a request to invest $1.9m in an adventure park project, citing the project’s high risk and lack of affordability for ratepayers.

While Wellington enjoyed a sharp jump in occupancy and ADR during the early stages of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in late July, those metrics have been sliding since, according to figures from STR.

The Waiorua Gallery has joined the annual Kāpiti Coast Art Trail for the first time this year.

Trains delivered more than 173,000 patrons travelling to FIFA Women’s World Cup games in Auckland and Wellington, demonstrating the benefits of commuter rail, according to the government.

QT Hotels and Resorts has appointed Australian hospitality executive Jodi Brown to lead the QT Wellington and Museum Apartment Hotel.

Wellington will be hosting fireworks, footy, foodie events and films over the coming months, with a lot to follow its hosting of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

The capital has enjoyed a sharp increase in hotel occupancy and ADR since the start of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The 30th annual Toast Martinborough is expected to attract 100,000 people in November.

Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre will host the Holiday Parks New Zealand Conference in 2024.

Tranzit shutters the tour operator despite the recovery in international visitor numbers.

Te Papa has secured hosting rights as the only New Zealand venue to showcase a new dinosaur exhibition from The Paleontological Museum Egidio Feruglio.

A revamp of Wellington’s “Golden Mile” aims to make the city’s CBD easier to get around and attract more people back to town.

The five-day forum will bring together industry, govt, and other stakeholders to focus on opportunities in the high-value sector.

More than 1,000 business event professionals gathered at Te Papa for the opening of BEIA’s MEETINGS.

Foley Wines says its new brand home in Martinborough, The Runholder, is set to open to visitors in July, pending final council approvals for its 100-person restaurant, tasting room, private dining room and distillery.  

Wellington is the first of the major NZ hotel markets to record occupancy down on 2022.

TRENZ is coming to Tākina Wellington from 8-10 May 2024.

Kāpiti Coast District Council’s new Arts Sustainability and the Museum and Heritage Development Funds will support eight arts and heritage initiatives.

Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre has enjoyed a “stellar” inaugural week following its official opening, says Tākina Events.

Wellington’s cycle network has won $650,000 from the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure (BICI).

Upper Hutt City Council is now accepting applications from local event organisers to support a range of diverse events in the city.

The date has been set for Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s 2023 Tourism Awards dinner in Wellington, taking place on Tuesday 7 November.

The Bed & Breakfast Association has set the dates for its annual conference in Wellington.

Wellington Airport has welcomed the reintroduction of Qantas’ Wellington – Brisbane service, set to start in October.

Chef Celia Drummond of Floriditas has won the Visa Wellington On a Plate’s Next Gen Cook Off.

An investigation into a power outage on Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry on 28 January 2023 has found that KiwiRail did not correctly follow its own equipment replacement processes.

Business Events Wellington will host more than 160 buyers for a day out in Wellington ahead of MEETINGS at the Tākina Wellington Convention Centre next month.

Wellington’s Metlink public transport will offer free travel on its bus and train network for football fans travelling to FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 games.

The owner operator launches two hotels in two weeks, putting extensive delays and Covid disruption behind it.

Disruption to KiwiRail’s Wellington network and services such as the Northern Explorer due to a faulty track evaluation car could be over by the end of the week.

More than 230 hosted buyers from as far away as North America, Singapore and Australia will attend MEETINGS this year.

Scenic train journeys on the Northern Explorer will be slower on trips between Wellington and Auckland from today.

The final touches will soon be put on the new purpose-built art centre at Mahara Gallery in Waikanae.

Wellington’s hotel market has cooled with the average weekly occupancy high of 87% seen in late February sliding below 60% in the week to Easter.

The first B&B conference in three years will take place at the Copthorne Oriental Bay in Wellington this June.

Wellington Airport is forecasting passenger numbers for FY2023 to reach about 5.2 million passengers this year, or 85% of pre-Covid levels.

Ngā Manu Nature Reserve has been accredited a Silver Sustainable Tourism Business Award from Qualmark.

Ed Sheeran’s concert at Wellington’s Sky Stadium in early February gave the capital’s hotel market a timely shot in the arm following the summer slumber.

Kāpiti Coast District Council’s Major Events Fund is now open to applications for events planned between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024.

The costs have more than doubled to $79m, up from the $30m initially estimated.

Of the country’s major hotel markets, Wellington appears to have come out of spring the strongest with average weekly occupancy mostly above 80% since mid-October, according to figures from STR.

Kāpiti Coast District Council is preparing for more than 35,000 visitors who are expected in the region this summer.

Sustainability is a major focus at the 2022 Horowhenua Taste Trail this year, with its 16 producer participants aiming to lessen the food event’s impact on the environment.

Wellington International Airport Limited has reported net profit after tax of $11m for the six months ended 30 September 2022, up from the $2.9m reported for the same period last year.

The Kāpiti Coast Art Trail is back this November, with works from more than 125 local artists on display and many more at local galleries and creative spaces.

About 12,000 food lovers and 250 vendors are expected at this year’s Kāpiti Food Fair in December – and a plan is underway to ensure sustainability is a top priority.

A new memorial honouring the outstanding courage of Police and members of the public has opened at the Royal New Zealand Police College’s lower grounds near Porirua.

Tākina Events has appointed Wētā Workshop head of tourism Jake Downing its new director of museum and commercial services.

The capital is having a strong spring with the return of the World of WearableArt after three years helping to drive occupancy and ADR.

Kapiti Island Nature Tours co-founder John Barrett has been inducted into Business Kapiti Horowhenua’s Hall of Fame.