Hockey Northland's stadium in Whangārei was packed with fans for the Oceania Cup in 2023, but will be sitting empty for the Vantage Black Sticks Tri-Series 2026. Photo / NZME
Hockey Northland's stadium in Whangārei was packed with fans for the Oceania Cup in 2023, but will be sitting empty for the Vantage Black Sticks Tri-Series 2026. Photo / NZME
Whangārei is missing out on an international hockey tournament set to offer $5.1 million in economic benefit, due to a lack of accommodation in Northland in early February.
Hockey New Zealand considered Whangārei to host the Vantage Black Sticks Tri-Series 2026 from February 1 to 10.
The international hockey eventincludes the men’s Tri-Nations competition between New Zealand, Korea and Malaysia, and the women’s Black Sticks test series against Argentina.
The event was expected to attract 10,000 spectators, with 40% of these being visitors from outside Northland, according to a report prepared for the Whangārei District Council’s community development committee.
Those visitors were expected to spend an average of $250 a day for three days, bringing $3m in direct visitor spending and a total economic impact estimated at $5.1m.
But the Vantage Black Sticks Tri-Series was now being split between the North and South Islands, with the women’s tournament running in Dunedin and the men’s tournament in Waikato, said Hockey NZ head of high performance Simon Brill.
When selecting host cities, Hockey NZ looked for regions willing to help promote the event, along with practical considerations like proximity to airports, accommodation availability, facilities for matches and training, and local engagement, he said.
The lack of visitor accommodation in Northland at the busy summer period, including the inability to host the four to six teams in each tournament, was the main reason Whangārei missed out, Brill said.
“For these tournaments, we have access to university and student accommodation in Dunedin and Waikato, which was a key advantage.”
Brill said Hockey NZ also aimed to spread events around the country, and Whangārei had recently hosted major events, including a Premier Hockey League round and the Oceania Cup in 2023.
The event not only clashed with Waitangi Day, which puts pressure on accommodation and transport around Northland, it would have run at the same time as the Davis Cup tennis fixture in Whangārei on February 7 and 8.
Northland Inc CEO Paul Linton says accommodation is an absolute priority in Whangārei for the district to host more large-scale events.
The Davis Cup, known as the World Cup of Tennis, is expected to generate $140,000 in direct spending in Whangārei with 1000 visitor nights, as well as the eyes of 130,000 New Zealanders watching the live broadcast.
Northland Inc chief executive Paul Linton said more accommodation was a priority for Whangārei to attract events, which both supported economic activity and added to the vibrancy of the region.
“Increasing high-quality, centrally located rooms [in Whangārei] will help us attract and retain more large-scale events.”
He pointed to the Oruku Landing development, which would not only add rooms but infrastructure like a conference centre, stimulating further investment.
Another hotel proposed for Whangārei’s Dent St - colloquially known as Fire Brigade Hill - is thought to be still in the mix.
The Oruku Landing hotel and conference centre - illustrated here in a 2022 scaled-back design - is still important for Whangārei, says Paul Linton.
In April 2024, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels NZ entered a $2.24m conditional agreement to buy the land from the Whangārei District Council for a hotel development.
The site at 22 Carruth St failed to sell through deadline private treaty in October and remained on the market, said Nigel Ingham from real estate agency Bayleys.
“There’s a desperate need for some quality accommodation in Whangārei.”
Northland Development Corporation has been contacted to provide an update on Oruku Landing.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
