We have four categories of membership:

Associate, Partner, Annual Events Partner and Platinum. To understand what each level entitles members, please click here.

Please join us as a member. Click here to find our sign up form. Your membership with Destination Wairarapa allows you to automatically be eligible for membership with Business Wairarapa.

Your support is greatly appreciated, and we believe it helps contribute to keeping Wairarapa top of mind as a visitor destination and a thriving tourism and hospitality sector.

Destination Wairarapa is the Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) for the Wairarapa. Our role is to attract more visitors, who stay longer and spend more, and grow Wairarapa's tourism revenue to $212m by 2025, while shallowing the low to high season trough.

Involved in events? We've created a free event resource for the region - the Wairarapa Event Hub for event organisers, suppliers and service providers. In it, you will find resources, information and contacts to support your event planning, management and governance.  

Destination Wairarapa could not do the work we do without the financial support of the three district councils in Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa. We are also grateful for the funding we get through the Trust House Foundation and of course the hundreds of Wairarapa tourism businesses who are members of our incorporated society. 

More about our organisation: 

Destination Management Plan

2021 Colmar Brunton Research

Wairarapa Regional Development Strategy

Our Constitution

2024 Audited Financial Statements

Chairman's report AGM 2024

Regional Events Promotion Fund

Applications open 3 April to 14 April 2025

About the fund

The Regional Events Promotion Fund (REPF) provides $5 million over 2 years to support the promotion of regional events to the domestic market. The aim of the fund is to encourage regional dispersal and increase visitor spend in the regions with an additional focus on encouraging seasonal dispersal by promoting events outside of the peak summer season.

The Fund is available to events which will deliver a high return on investment and increase the likelihood of encouraging visitors and to complement and enhance the planned promotion of the event.

Destination Wairarapa is the Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) for the Wairarapa and will be administering the Fund for events within this region, on behalf of the Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE).

Event organisers are not eligible to apply directly to the fund and should engage with Destination Wairarapa, who will assess applications before submitting them.

Funding can be used to promote the event or to provide to an event organiser (through a third-party contract with Destination Wairarapa) for promotional activity relating to that event. 

Events should, where possible, align with the Wairarapa Destination Management plan.

Applicants can apply for 1 or more events. The minimum amount of funding available for each event is $5,000 and the total funding for additional event promotion costs across all approved events for the Wairarapa, is a maximum of $237,500 per round.

NOTE: If a final report has not been received for an event which received funding in Round 1, that event will not be considered for Round 2 funding.

Applicants can apply for up to 50% of their existing promotional budget to undertake additional promotion of an event.

In-kind contributions are not permitted.

REPF funding should not be used to substitute the existing promotional budget. It is to enhance the amount available for promotional purposes.

Example

• Planned/existing event promotion budget $50,000
• REPF funding for additional promotion  $25,000
• Total available to promote event  $75,000

How to apply

A separate application form must be completed for each event, which must be sent to Destination Wairarapa for submission to MBIE.

There are two funding rounds:

• Round One – for events taking place between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025. Applications are now CLOSED for this round.
• Round Two – for events taking place between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. Applications are now OPEN for this round.

Application forms must be submitted to Destination Wairarapa by midnight 14 April 2025, allowing Destination Wairarapa time to collate all applications for submission to MBIE by close of business day 16 April 2025. No late applications will be accepted. 

1. Complete the Destination Wairarapa REPF Application Form
2. Submit your completed application form to anna@wairarapanz.com before midnight 14 April 2025

Fund criteria:

• Funding is for additional event promotion costs only i.e. not to substitute the existing budget.
• Events can be either new or established, recurring events (the event must be able to measure return on investment where possible).
• Events must be ticketed/paid or registration events.
• Events must not occur in the period 25 December to 7 January.
• The minimum amount of funding available for each event is $5,000.
• All application forms for funding must be submitted via Destination Wairarapa.

Assessment Criteria:

Applications will be assessed using the following criteria:

The likelihood of the event:

• to attract more out-of-region visitors
• to attract additional multi-day visitors
• will deliver economic impact in the host region
• to grow tourism /benefits attendance for the applicant’s region

Events the fund will not support: 

The REPF will not provide funding for:

• Free events
• A&P shows
• Craft markets, farmers markets
• Santa parades
• Conferences, school events, university events
• Touring music and international acts
• Major commercial sporting events such as cricket and rugby fixtures

Events which are also receiving (within this Round 2 funding period) other central government funding including:

• Major Events Fund or Creative and Cultural Events Incubator
• Ministry for Culture & Heritage
• Regional Events Fund
•  Events that take place in the New Year summer period (25 December to 7 January).

Additional notes/ FAQ:

• Funding is for domestic promotion only, no request for international marketing will be approved.
• Applications should demonstrate increased economic gain through increased attendance.
• Application forms submitted to Destination Wairarapa must be returned as a Word document (PDF’s will not be accepted).
• All information must be included within the application form, applications should not include any additional attachments.
• Applicants must co-fund at least 50% of promotion costs. Co-funding can be either existing or planned spend. Favourable consideration will be given if the organiser proposes to invest additional promotional funding.
• All funding granted will be paid by MBIE to Destination Wairarapa. Events will be required to enter into a third-party agreement with Destination Wairarapa as per the terms of MBIE. Destination Wairarapa will require an invoice to be submitted with the third-party agreement for funding to be transferred.
• Events that are successful with their application will be required to complete a post-event report which will include not be limited to total attendees, sales figures, and an assessment of additional attendees resulting from the funding as per the requirements of MBIE. Further details of this will be included in the third-party agreement.
• For further information please see MBIE’s website

If you would like to discuss your application, please contact:

Anna Nielson, Chief Executive, Destination Wairarapa anna@wairarapanz.com