League fans will also get to enjoy New Zealand hosting its first State of Origin match.
Other events receiving funding include the World Surf League championship, Matariki celebrations, the 3x3 World Cup from the Deaf International Basketball Federation, Visa Wellington on a Plate, and Beervana.
Stephenson, Act’s tourism and hospitality spokesman, said the party supports events that bring people together and give local businesses a lift, but “that doesn’t mean writing blank cheques behind closed doors”.
Upston said when organisers of some big events consider Australia they don’t look at coming here.
“So we do need to compete harder than we have been in order to attract them. I absolutely reject suggestions by any MP that I’m operating any kind of personal fund to make that happen.
“The New Zealand major events team at MBIE [Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment] worked hard with industry leaders and independent event experts to identify a long list of potential large-scale international event prospects for 2026 (and 2027 where scheduling required) that could form part of the package.”
A proactively released tranche of documents from MBIE shows that for every dollar spent on live performance, $3.20 is returned in benefits to the wider community.
The documents state the events attraction package was not a contestable fund but specific projects, where work can begin no later than early 2026, were identified to boost economic confidence and visitor experience.
Stephenson said people were “right to be sceptical” about the $3.20 return for every dollar spent on events.
“Economists have been pushing back on these kinds of numbers for years. MBIE’s own earlier work found projections overstated by as much as 350%,” he said.
The Act MP said even taking that return on investment at face value, the same dollar could do more somewhere else – in education, policing, or medicines.
“In my medicines role, I often meet with patient groups. I can tell you, a taxpayer-funded Robbie Williams concert is cold comfort for someone who’s dying because Pharmac doesn’t have the budget to fund their needed medicine.”
Upston said the events have been considered for their capacity to attract large audiences and international visitors.
She said an independent advisory panel developed a list of events that were subsequently invited to submit business cases. Advice was then provided to Upston by the panel, with the Government making the final call on which events the package supports.
Stephenson said events that do stack up should be able to stand on their own two feet in a contestable process, and repeated his argument that “taxpayers deserve better than a slush fund”.
Upston said a cost-benefit analysis was conducted as part of the assessment process and MBIE would report on the impact of the events attraction package once events have been completed.
“The Major Events and Tourism Package as a whole is designed to grow international visitor numbers, deliver economic growth through both domestic and international travel, drive economic activity and confidence across New Zealand and position New Zealand as a major events and tourism destination,” she said.
This is not the first time Stephenson has been critical of the fund.
When the Government announced it was supporting the match between Tottenham and Auckland FC, Stephenson questioned on social media why funding was being awarded when both clubs had billionaire owners.
Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.
