NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Auckland's mega-buck summer: Events to pump $53 million into economy

Neil Reid
By Neil Reid
Senior reporter·Herald on Sunday·
19 Oct, 2019 03:41 AM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Bono and his band-mates in U2 will return to Mt Smart Stadium next month for the band's Joshua Tree Tour. Photo / NZ Herald

Bono and his band-mates in U2 will return to Mt Smart Stadium next month for the band's Joshua Tree Tour. Photo / NZ Herald

Auckland's summer of fun is set to pump a whopping $53 million into the economy of the City of Sails.

Sold-out gigs from the likes of global superstars U2 and Elton John, and Kiwi hit-makers Six60, stage shows including The Book of Mormon, Mary Poppins and Snow White, family-friendly Auckland Zoo Open Lates, and sports events including the Monster Energy SX Open and the Auckland Tuatara in the Australian Baseball League are set to entertain all-comers over the summer months.

Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) revealed concerts and major events at its venues including Mt Smart Stadium, Western Springs Stadium and The Civic would attract more than 394,000 punters between now and the end of March.

Of that number, more than 168,000 will travel from outside, pumping millions into a "gig economy"; including tickets, hospitality, accommodation, travel and merchandise.

The total worth to gigs at RFA venues was estimated to pass the $50m mark.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

RFA chief executive Chris Brooks says Auckland has now entrenched itself as New Zealand's entertainment capital.

Six60 will again rock out at a sold-out Western Springs Stadium next February. Photo by Dave Simpson/WireImage
Six60 will again rock out at a sold-out Western Springs Stadium next February. Photo by Dave Simpson/WireImage

"Over the past eight years, we have successfully positioned Auckland as a vibrant summer entertainment destination where you can attend major international touring concerts, blockbuster musicals, exhibitions and festivals," Brooks says.

"This has a significant flow-on effect for Auckland's economy, including the accommodation, hospitality and tourism sectors.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It is extremely rewarding to see the huge economic and cultural benefits our activities bring to the city - and this summer will be our biggest yet."

RFA says the two U2 concerts at Mt Smart Stadium, the Green Day musical American Idiot which has been held at The Civic and the upcoming Les Miserables production at the same venue would have combined ticket sales topping 100,000.

U2 will bring their Joshua Tree Tour to New Zealand; playing the entirety of the 1987 Joshua Tree album, plus all their other greatest hits, on November 8 and 9. And along with the music, fans have been promised a multimedia show like no other.

"We decided to give the visual element back to Anton [photographer and film-maker Anton Corbijn] because it's his aesthetic," Willie Williams, the band's creative director and the man responsible for every U2 show over the past 37 years, recently told the Herald.

Discover more

Entertainment

U2 to pay tribute to Kiwi roadie and dear friend

27 Sep 06:25 PM
Business

Viagogo to Metallica fans: 'Return tickets to Ireland or no refund'

01 Oct 10:35 PM
Entertainment

U2 in 'New Zooland': A look back through the years

10 Oct 06:00 AM
Entertainment

Six60 announce major summer tour

10 Oct 06:00 PM

"The whole vibe of that album, the way it looks, is Anton's aesthetic. We realised that we had to give him the best canvas that we possibly could.

"So the screen we have fills the end of the stadium and it actually looks 3D sometimes, because the quality of his films is so astonishing, and the playback is absolutely unprecedented. The pictures are jaw-droppingly beautiful."

Elton John is set to entertain Kiwi fans for the last time on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Photo / Otago Daily Times
Elton John is set to entertain Kiwi fans for the last time on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Another must-have summer gig experience will be Six60's gig at Western Springs Stadium on February 22.

The show is already a sell-out. This year the band rewrote New Zealand music history when their first headline show at the legendary Auckland venue sold out.

"It's incredible to be able to play Western Springs again, selling it out is really a tribute to our bond with our fans," the band said in statement earlier this month.

Seven major events last summer at three Auckland Council venues – Mt Smart Stadium, Western Springs and The Civic – pumped in at least $21m into the Auckland economy.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The Book of Mormon is set to be a huge stage show at The Civic next march. Photo / Supplied
The Book of Mormon is set to be a huge stage show at The Civic next march. Photo / Supplied

Those events – which attracted more than 200,000 people to them – included concerts by Taylor Swift, Mumford & Sons, Fat Freddy's Drop and Six60, plus Disney's Aladdin, and the Auckland round of the Monster Energy S-X Open.

About 40 per cent of those who attended the various events had travelled from outside Auckland.

Brooks said at the time one of the highlights had been Six60's historic gig at Western Springs, where they became the first Kiwi band to sell-out the venue.

"That's a really great outcome."

Even more was injected into the Auckland economy over the summer of 2017, with gigs by Justin Bieber, Guns N' Rosers, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and Adele leading to a staggering $37.7m cash windfall.

Adele's concerts in Auckland attracted an estimated 130,000 gig-goers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ateed chief Nick Hill said Auckland had established itself as a global destination for major events.

His organisation worked with the events industry and RFA to support and create events that delivered social, economic and environmental benefits to Auckland.

"While we support events that contribute to Auckland's visitor economy, it's also essential that our events align with key deliverables as outlined in the Destination AKL 2025 Strategy to make our region the best place to live, work, study, do business and invest in.

"Auckland is a great place to be and the summer events programme is just a snapshot of what's to come as we build towards a mega year of events in 2021, including the 36th America's Cup, APEC Leaders' Week, Rugby World Cup 2021, the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and Te Matatini."

Auckland's summer of fun

• Taste of Auckland: October 31-November 2, Queens Wharf
. Rugby League Triple Header – GBRL Lions Tour and Oceania Cup: November 2, Eden Park
• Les Miserables: November 7-30, The Civic
• U2's Joshua Tree Tour: November 8-9, Mt Smart Stadium
. FIBA Womens Olympic Qualifying Tournament: November 12-17, Trusts Arena
• Monster Energy SX Open: November 16, Mt Smart Stadium
• Friday Jams Live: November 17, Western Springs Stadium
• Auckland Tuatara baseball season: November 21-January 26, North Harbour Stadium
. Equitana: November 21-24, ASB Showgrounds
. 49er, 49er FX & NACRA 17 World Sailing Champs: November 29-December 8, – Akoranga Yacht Club
• Christmas in the Park: December 14, Auckland Domain
. ASB Classic Tennis: January 6-18, Stanley St
• Auckland Zoo Open Lates: mid-January-March, Auckland Zoo
• Fat Freddy's Drop, January 18: Western Springs Stadium outer fields
• St Jerome's Laneway: January 27, Albert Park
. Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival: January 31, Auckland Waterfront
• Queen & Adam Lambert: February 7, Mt Smart Stadium
. Castrol Toyota Racing Series: February 8-9, Pukekohe Park Raceway
• Gladys Knight: February 13, The Civic
. Auckland Lantern Festival, February 13-16, Auckland Domain
• Elton John's Farewell Tour: February 16, 18 & 20, Mt Smart Stadium
. Splore: February 20-23, Tapapakanga Regional Park
• Six60: February 22, Western Springs Stadium
• The Book of Mormon: March 22-6, The Civic
• Snow White: March 11-15, Aotea Centre
• Auckland Arts Festival: March 11-29, various venues
. Pasifika Festival: March 14-15, Western Springs Park
. World Surf league (Piha Pro): March 17-22, West Coast
• Mary Poppins: April 1-18, Bruce Mason Centre
. Supercars (20th Anniversary): April 24-26, Pukekohe Park Raceway

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

(Includes events that are not included in Regional Facilities Auckland's $53 million Summer of Fun)

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Reviews

Auckland Philharmonia's Nightscapes enchants with Strauss and Schoenberg

13 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Entertainment

Too Much? Not for White Lotus star Will Sharpe

13 Jul 02:00 AM
Entertainment

'Unbelievable': NZ Youth Choir conquers world stage with second major win

13 Jul 01:50 AM

Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Auckland Philharmonia's Nightscapes enchants with Strauss and Schoenberg

Auckland Philharmonia's Nightscapes enchants with Strauss and Schoenberg

13 Jul 05:00 PM

REVIEW: Listeners were transported from a Viennese ballroom to a mysterious forest.

Premium
Too Much? Not for White Lotus star Will Sharpe

Too Much? Not for White Lotus star Will Sharpe

13 Jul 02:00 AM
'Unbelievable': NZ Youth Choir conquers world stage with second major win

'Unbelievable': NZ Youth Choir conquers world stage with second major win

13 Jul 01:50 AM
Premium
Meet the Kiwi teen with all the moves as the killer robot in M3gan 2.0

Meet the Kiwi teen with all the moves as the killer robot in M3gan 2.0

12 Jul 10:00 PM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP