A range of Wānaka events have been named as successful recipients of the third and final round of the Southern Lakes Regional Events Fund (REF).

The Winter Games (September 2022), WAO Summit (October 2022), Tuki Festival (November 2022), Challenge Wānaka (February 2023), Contact Epic (April 2023) and Warbirds Over Wānaka  (March 2024) were among 26 events granted funding by the Southern Lakes Events Investment Panel.

Funding for this final round was granted to events to be held within the Southern Lakes region between April 2022 and April 2023 with more than $2.3M invested.

Southern Lakes Events Investment Panel chair Murray Strong said the panel was delighted to be able to support another 26 events in the wider region.

“The overwhelming number of high-quality applications received shows that the events industry is back and ready for action,” he said.

The events that secured funding are collectively set to attract more than 150,000 out-of-region visitors, delivering an additional 400,000 bed nights and $80M in visitor expenditure across Queenstown, Wānaka and Central Otago.

Murray said it was great to see a number of new events which have come to fruition as a result of the REF funding.

“We are also excited to welcome back some of the iconic events that have been impacted by Covid-19, such as the Winter Games, New Zealand Open, Winter Pride and more. These events attract an international market bringing significant economic benefit to the region and help to bolster the region’s vibrant events calendar,” he said.

The Southern Lakes REF is part of the government’s $50M Regional Events Fund which aims to stimulate domestic tourism by supporting events.

PHOTO: Wānaka App