Manager of Whanganui’s NZ Masters Games says council funding critical for event to continue

There were 4600 registrations for this year's event, up around 400 from 2023. Photo / NZME

Despite an increase in participants this year, Downer New Zealand Masters Games organisers say council funding is critical for its survival.

Whanganui District Council contributed $200,000 to the 2025 event.

Games manager Heather Cox told Whanganui district councillors last month the return on that investment for the community was $2.48 for every $1.

Her report to the council said the total spend in the district over the 10 days (January 31 to February 10) was $4.4 million, up $500,000 from the 2023 games and $900,000 in 2021.

“The event generated an energetic atmosphere and an estimated $1.07 million boost to local economic output,” it said.

Councillor Peter Oskam asked what the event, which Whanganui hosts every two years, would look like without council funding.

Cox said they “would probably be $100,000 in debt”, and it would be difficult to find another sponsor to fill the council’s place - “we can’t upset our existing sponsors”.

The games’ principal sponsor is Downer New Zealand.

There was around “$8000 in the bank”, she said.

“Every year, our costs are going up - every vendor, supplier, everything we are paying for to run the games,” she said.

“We are not seeing an increase [in funding] from the council. That’s fine, but our deficit would be even higher if we didn’t have that investment.

“I don’t know how long we’d be able to operate with a shortfall of $100,000.”

Councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay said the council should continue to invest in the games because it was a shareholder.

“For me, it’s not only the economic investment that justifies that support, it’s the fact that we own the games ourselves,” he said.

According to Cox’s report, sports clubs received a total of $171,000 in payouts from the event, and the games’ charity, the Robert Bartley Foundation, received $8876.

Chandulal-Mackay said the payouts meant clubs were probably less likely to require sport and recreation funding from the council.

There were 4600 registrations in 2025, around 400 more than in 2023, with almost 70% coming from out of town.

In 2023, four teams - 50 people - pulled out of the football competition on one day due to a lack of accommodation.

Cox’s report to the council said the issue forced some participants to stay in Palmerston North for this year’s event, while others were “deterred from entering”.

She told councillors that accommodation would continue to be a problem for all events until it was resolved, and that was out of organisers’ hands.

The games did not want to move away from traditional sports, but newer additions were proving popular, especially pickleball, Cox said.

“Puzzle racing is something that is part of the Masters Games, which wouldn’t have been there in the past.

“This year, demand was so high that Moore Markhams [accountants] jumped on as a sponsor so we could get more puzzles and open it to more players.

“Some people might think ‘That’s not sport’, but sport is changing.”

Councillor Philippa Baker Hogan said numbers were not as high as they once were - “8000 10-plus years ago” - but it was still the country’s biggest multisport event.

Whanganui deputy mayor Helen Craig said the council funding was ratepayers’ money and the biggest investment the council made in a single event, so it was important to make sure there was value for money.

“Ratepayers could argue that it just goes to businesses and motels, but $171,000 goes to our sport partners,” she said.

“I think it’s a really, really great deal for Whanganui.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.