Ruapehu event organisers will receive funding of nearly $450,000 over the next 2-3 years following the announcement of a
second tranche of funding from the Thermal Explorer Regional Events Fund.
The latest allocation of $245k for four events follows last year’s round of funding of $200k for two events.
The Thermal Explorer Regional Events Fund was set up by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to
help support and provide new domestic visitation opportunities for the events and tourism sectors which have been
severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Events receiving funding support in Ruapehu are a mixture of new and existing covering diverse interest areas of snow
sports, trail running, cycling, music, and culture.Tom Campbell Big Air - 23-24 September 2022Ohakune Roots & Blues Festival - 23 October 2022Kotahitanga Festival - 11–12 February 2023Vertical Sky Waka Challenge - 10-12 March 2023Raetihi Gutbuster - 25 March 2023TBC – March 2023
In total, the six events are predicted to attract over 40,000 people, with two-thirds being visitors from outside the
region.
Ruapehu District Council’s Manager of Business Relationship and Development Kim Treen, who sits on the eight-member
Thermal Explorer Event Investment Panel, says each of the six event organisers are immensely excited about the
opportunity that the funding presents.
“Our event organisers in Ruapehu have worked incredibly hard to bring their event ideas to fruition, and to bring
visitors here. With small groups of volunteers traditionally delivering Ruapehu events their dedication and hard work is
a great inspiration for the district and I’m so pleased that we have been able to help get them some financial support
for the next three years with the funding from MBIE through the Regional Events Fund,” shares Kim.