Auckland's Mayor has taken out a full-page advert in Saturday's newspaper calling for a fairer way to support tourism.
Wayne Brown has rallied around 114 supporters to join a Tourism Funding Charter, calling for a long-term national approach to fund local infrastructure and activity relating to tourism.
The advertisment from the Office of the Mayor of Auckland and Tataki Auckland Unlimited, the council's cultural, events and economic development agency, says the government pockets around $10.5 billion in tourism-related revenue each year. It says GST alone was $4.4-billion to the year end, March 2025.
The ad says local government receives no income from visitors spending in their regions. Yet most of the infrastructure, services and management effort needed to host visitors in the regions is funded by local councils and ratepayers.
It says around $220-million a year, which the ad claims is equivalent of just 5% of GST on tourism spending, would help to close the local tourism funding gap.
Brown's supporters signing up to the New Zealand Tourism Funding Charter and calling for a long-term national approach to funding the infrastructure, services, event attraction and destination marketing activity that supports tourism across the country.
The ad says it's about creating a fairer system that allows regions to deal with demand where it is created.
"One that recognises the value tourism brings and ensures regions and communities are better supported to meet the costs of hosting visitors."
SHARE ME