Kia ora Lu,
 
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 19/03/2026 requesting, under the Official
Information Act 1982, the following:
 
I am writing to request information under the OIA regarding the
Government’s Events Attraction Package.

Specifically, I would like to request the following information:
1.      Funding Allocation
The total funding allocated to the Events Attraction Package.
The amount of funding committed or assigned to each event announced to
date (including but not limited to events such as Linkin Park – Auckland,
Ultra Music Festival – Wellington, FIFA World Series – Auckland, WSL
Championship Tour – Raglan, and Robbie Williams – Christchurch and
Auckland).
2.      Invited Events
The list of events that have been invited to submit business cases under
the Events Attraction Package (including those not ultimately selected, if
available).
3.      Shortlisting Process
Information on how the independent advisory panel developed the shortlist
of events, including:
4.      Criteria used for shortlisting
Any weighting or scoring methodology applied
Any guidance or direction provided to the panel by MBIE or Ministers
5.      Decision-Making Criteria
Details of the criteria used to assess and select events, including how
factors such as: Economic impact
International visitor attraction
Regional and seasonal distribution
Alignment with Government priorities
were considered.
6.       Ticket Pricing and Public Accessibility
Whether ticket pricing and affordability for New Zealand residents were
considered in the event selection process.
Any analysis undertaken on whether public funding contributes to lower
ticket prices or increased accessibility for local audiences.
If no such analysis was undertaken, the reasons why.
7.       Counterfactual Analysis (super powerful)
Whether any assessment was made of whether these events would have
occurred in New Zealand without government funding.
If so, please provide details of that assessment
 
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and no
later than 20/04/2026, being 20 working days after the day your request
was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe. If you have any enquiries
regarding your request feel free to contact us via email to
[1][MBIE request email].
 
Nāku noa, nā
Ministerial Services
Strategy and Assurance
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011 |  P O Box 1473 Wellington 6140

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[MBIE request email]