What's coming up in New Zealand tourism

September 2026

• Mid-SeptemberTourism New Zealand hosts an online AI collective forum for operatorsEvents
• 16 SeptemberPermanent hoiho set-net closure and the four-capture limit take effectConservation
• 16 SeptemberThe Banks Peninsula marine mammal permit moratorium rolls over for ten years, now covering all waters around the peninsula rather than Akaroa Harbour aloneConservation
• 17 SeptemberStats NZ releases gross domestic product for the June 2026 quarterResults
• 18 SeptemberTrailLite launches the Roadcraft, its first New Zealand-made and branded motorhomeEvents
• 24 SeptemberThe House rises ahead of the general electionPolicy
• 24 SeptemberNew applications for the general visitor visa and around nineteen related categories must be started in the enhanced Immigration Online systemPolicy
• 24 SeptemberAir New Zealand's annual shareholders' meeting, online at 2pm, where Larry De Shon retires from the board and Campbell Wilson and Robert McDonald stand for electionAviation
• SeptemberFeedback closes on the Goat Island parking pricing structurePolicy
• 30 SeptemberAAT Kings early-bird pricing closes on the 2027/28 Australia and New Zealand seasonEvents

October 2026

• 1 OctoberParliament is dissolved, with writ day on 4 October and nominations closing at noon on 8 OctoberPolicy
• OctoberFinal parking prices released for Te Hāwere-a-Maki / Goat IslandPolicy
• OctoberRecruitment advertised for Nelson's consolidated port and airport boardPeople
• OctoberDesigns due to be finalised for the Porirua Adventure Park, with construction to start in November or DecemberEvents
• OctoberSkyCity's annual shareholders meeting, where it will update the market on FY27 after giving no guidance with its FY26 resultResults
• OctoberChristchurch Airport's annual meeting, after which its $27.4 million final dividend is paidResults
• 5 OctoberJames Stevenson-Wallace starts as Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executivePeople
• 7 OctoberLast day to submit draft group, tour escort and ADS FIT visitor visa applications started in the old Immigration Online system, with remaining drafts deleted on 8 OctoberPolicy
• 8 OctoberThe old visitor visa application forms close and any remaining drafts in the old system are deletedPolicy
• Mid-OctoberBridge and boardwalk work due to finish on the Mangapurua section, Mountains to Sea Great RideConservation
• 18 OctoberCardrona's extended 2026 closing date, a week later than scheduled after late snowEvents
• 23 OctoberAli Adams finishes as ChristchurchNZ chief executivePeople
• 26 OctoberVoting opens for the general election, 12 days before election dayPolicy
• 26 OctoberAir New Zealand becomes the first international airline into Western Sydney Airport, three return services a week from AucklandAviation
• 28 OctoberAir New Zealand's first direct Christchurch–Singapore service departsAviation
• October to JanuaryQueenstown's mayoral congestion taskforce due to report, three to six months from 31 JulyPolicy

November 2026

• November-DecemberBridge work moves to the Kaiwhakauka section, Mountains to Sea Great RideConservation
• NovemberGeneral sale opens for State of Origin tickets at Eden ParkEvents
• NovemberAir New Zealand's Boeing 787 retrofit programme due to be finished, 14 aircraft in totalAviation
• 4 NovemberTourism Summit Aotearoa and the NZ Tourism Awards, Te Pae ChristchurchEvents
• 7 NovemberGeneral electionPolicy
• 11 NovemberThe Environment Committee reports back on the Conservation Amendment BillPolicy
• 19 NovemberAir Niugini's earliest planned resumption of Port Moresby–Auckland, after two deferralsAviation
• 26 NovemberNational Wild Goat Hunting Competition closesConservation
• 28 NovemberAir New Zealand's first direct Christchurch–Narita service departsAviation
• 30 NovemberAir New Zealand's first direct Christchurch–Perth service departsAviation
• Later in 2026Air New Zealand investor day on strategy and medium-term financial objectivesResults
• End of NovemberWairere Falls Track, Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park, due to reopen ahead of summerConservation

December 2026

• DecemberPaid parking due to start at Te Hāwere-a-Maki / Goat IslandConservation
• DecemberAuckland Airport's international terminal retail refurbishment due to finishEvents
• 6 DecemberThe expedition ship Coral Adventurer opens Gisborne's cruise season, the first of 12 confirmed callsEvents
• Mid-DecemberMangatepopo Track reopens after the late-2025 fire damage, restoring the Tongariro Northern Circuit as a full loopConservation
• 18 DecemberThe new Oturere Hut and campsite open for bookings on the Tongariro Northern Circuit, delayed from the October start of the Great Walk seasonConservation
• 20 DecemberThe Tourism New Zealand and Webjet fare sale travel window closesAviation
• 31 DecemberExtended deadline on the Porirua Adventure Park agreement to lease, pending Overseas Investment Office clearancePolicy
• End of 2026DOC and the Backcountry Trust aim to sign a national operational agreement on the backcountry hut and track network, including new funding and visitor payment optionsConservation

January 2027

• 1 JanuaryNelson's single governance board for Port Nelson and Nelson Airport takes effectPolicy
• 2027Accor's two new-build Mantra hotels open in Hamilton, 52 rooms on Pembroke Street and 40 on Karewa PlaceEvents
• 2027The year the signed Auckland Regional Deal commits the government to consider accommodation leviesPolicy
• Early 2027The Central Lakes two-route bus network goes into the Otago Regional Council's draft 2027-30 Long-Term PlanPolicy
• Early 2027Construction due to start on the $58 million Waiwera Thermal Springs redevelopment, 28 pools on the site 40km north of AucklandEvents
• 2027The Sheraton opens in Christchurch in the converted Noah's Hotel buildingEvents

February 2027

• February 2027Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2027, Marlborough, the international conference Wine Marlborough is backing in place of its shelved festivalEvents
• 2 FebruaryJetstar's new carry-on model takes effect, with the overhead locker becoming a paid extraAviation

March 2027

• March 2027The Dunedin Pro QS4000 and Junior Pro, St Clair, DunedinEvents
• March-April 2027ORC's 2027-30 Long-Term Plan consultation, carrying the Wānaka and Upper Clutha bus proposal and its 49 percent targeted rate sharePolicy

April 2027

• 19-25 April 2027Conservation Week, theme "Nature loves a team effort", finishing on ANZAC DayConservation

May 2027

• May to July 2027Carnival Cruise Line home-ports the Carnival Adventure in New Zealand, the first such arrangement since 2023Events
• 11-13 May 2027TRENZ, Te Pae Christchurch, the fourth time the show has run in the cityEvents

June 2027

• 16 JuneState of Origin game two, Eden Park, the first played outside Australia, with the Warriors at the same ground on 13 JuneEvents
• 29-30 June 2027The 30th MEETINGS, New Zealand International Convention Centre, AucklandEvents
• Mid-2027Stage 1A of Rotorua Airport's business park due to be complete, if Bay of Plenty Regional Council grants the earthworks consentEvents

July 2027

• 1 JulyACT's proposed Local Tourism Dividend would start paying councils $1 per guest nightPolicy
• 1 JulyNational's redistribution of the International Visitor Levy would start, with $100m a year to conservation, $50m to a Tourism Priorities Fund and the remainder to councils by international guest night sharePolicy

August 2027

• To August 2027Feasibility, consenting, engineering and community engagement on Hawke's Bay Airport's 12-17MW solar farmPolicy

October 2027

• Late 2027Auckland Airport switches international processing so security screening comes before passport control, with construction running to 2029Aviation
• Late 2027The Arawa Park Hotel reopens as the 135-room Rotorua Marriott Hotel, the first Marriott Hotels-branded property in New Zealand, followed by Autograph Collection hotels in Auckland (2028) and Wellington (2029)

November 2027

• November 2027Main construction starts on the Warkworth to Te Hana expresswayPolicy

December 2027

• Summer 2027Queenstown Airport's $65 million airfield programme, a Code C heavy taxiway and a full overlay of the main runway, due to be completeAviation

January 2028

• 2028Distinction Hotels' 145-room hotel and conference centre opens in Philip Laing House, Princes Street, DunedinEvents
• Early 2028The Central Lakes trial bus service could begin, two routes and four daily return trips seven days a week, if the targeted rate and NZTA funding both holdPolicy
• January 2028National's rescheduled fuel excise increases would begin, 5 cents a litre every six months to 2030, then annual risesPolicy

February 2028

• February 2028Porirua Adventure Park due to open with a gondola, summit restaurant, dual zipline and surf simulatorEvents
• To early 2028The most intensive stage of Auckland Airport's international terminal build, with disruption expected in check-inAviation

June 2028

• Mid-2028Waiwera Thermal Springs due to open, with the developer projecting more than 310,000 visitors a yearEvents

July 2028

• 22 JulyTotal solar eclipse across the lower South Island, Milford to DunedinEvents

August 2028

• 6 AugustThe Employment Leave Act 2026 replaces the Holidays Act 2003, two years after Royal assentPolicy

September 2028

• 2028/29 seasonPrincess Cruises plans to double its New Zealand port calls, across nine ports plus Fiordland cruisingEvents

December 2028

• Late 2028 to end 2029Bay of Islands Airport's runway extension from 1,200m to 1,500m due to be complete, enabling full-capacity 68-seat ATR servicesAviation

January 2029

• 2029The rail-enabled ferries Kupe and Cook enter service on Cook Strait, operated by KiwiRailPolicy

January 2031

• 2031Lyttelton's Te Awaparahi Bay deepwater wharf and container terminal due to be completeEvents

The diary is maintained by hand from primary sources and updated each weekday. Dates move, so check the linked source in the relevant briefing before relying on one.