New Zealand tourism eyes recovery at TRENZ 2026 with opening of two venues
TRENZ 2026, the New Zealand tourism sector's largest trade event, opened with the launch of the Te Pae convention centre in Wellington and the Tākina complex in Auckland. Tourism Industry Aotearoa expects the sector to capture its annual target of NZ$4.2 billion in investment.
According to RNZ Business, TRENZ 2026, the largest trade event in New Zealand's tourism sector, opened on Thursday morning in Wellington with the inauguration of the new Te Pae convention centre. The same weekend, the Tākina complex was inaugurated in Auckland. Tourism Industry Aotearoa Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram said 1,280 buyers from Europe, North America, Australia and China are registered; 'the sector retains its annual investment target of NZ$4.2 billion after the Iran-linked fuel cost shock'.
The Te Pae convention centre, built with NZ$180 million in investment, features a 1,400-person conference hall, 2,600 square metres of exhibition space, and infrastructure supplying 92% of its electricity from solar and geothermal sources. Tākina is a NZ$230 million complex in Auckland operating with a tourism-science hybrid model. The New Zealand Ministry of Finance has revised its 2026-27 tourism foreign earnings target up to NZ$23.1 billion (from NZ$21.4 billion previously).
Key investment intentions announced on day one include a Hilton-Marriott partnership 320-room project in Queenstown, Mantra Group's expansion into Rotorua and Hawke's Bay, and Singapore's Changi Airports International discussing equity participation at Auckland Airport. ANZ Bank tourism research director Geoff Penny said 'capacity supply investment is rising while the NZ dollar headline remains a disadvantage for Asia-Pacific tourists'. Air New Zealand Chief Executive Greg Foran said new Asian routes starting in September will underpin these investments.
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