What's coming up in New Zealand tourism

November 2026

• 14 NovemberContractors start on the Hahei Beach Short Walk reroute to Mautohe Cathedral CoveConservation
• 17 NovemberAir Niugini's first Port Moresby to Auckland service since 1998, three a week on 737-800s (licence granted 9 November)Aviation
• 19 NovemberApplications close for TRENZ 2027 (or earlier if capacity is reached)Events
• Until 20 NovemberTranzAlpine runs Christchurch to Arthur's Pass only, with a road connection to Greymouth, while the Midland Line is repaired after the Ōtira Tunnel derailmentEvents
• 22 NovemberThree Singapore services in one day at Christchurch Airport, 1,560 seats on the routeAviation
• 22 NovemberWorld Triathlon Cup Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, first of three years leading to the 2028 World Triathlon ChampionshipsEvents
• 24 NovemberAuckland Airport's emergency services team (E tū, 69 staff) notified 24-hour strike from 6am; airport warns flights may be cancelled or divertedAviation
• 25 NovemberStats NZ supplementary tables for the June 2026 subnational population estimates, down to regional, ward and urban area levelResults
• 25 NovemberHavelock marina redevelopment community drop-in sessionEvents
• 26 NovemberNational Wild Goat Hunting Competition closesConservation
• 27 NovemberOfficial general election result due from the Electoral Commission, after the special votes are countedPolicy
• 27 NovemberSecond notified 24-hour strike by Auckland Airport's emergency services team, from 6amAviation
• 27 NovemberFirst of a series of 10-hour strikes by FENZ career firefighters (Professional Firefighters' Union); NZDF crews may cover up to 20 priority stationsPolicy
• 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 summer, a date DOC says it can no longer promise if visitors keep entering the worksiteConservation
• 30 NovemberKāpiti Coast Airport set to cease operations ahead of a conditional sale; Sounds Air reported to move its service to WellingtonAviation

December 2026

• DecemberPaid parking due to start at Te Hāwere-a-Maki / Goat IslandConservation
• DecemberAuckland Airport's international terminal retail refurbishment due to finishEvents
• 1 DecemberPaid parking starts at Cornwall Park, Auckland; first two hours free, then $5 an hour weekdays and $2.50 weekendsPolicy
• DecemberEarliest possible opening for a 32-metre wheel on Auckland's Quay Street waterfront, subject to consentsEvents
• DecemberReserve Bank's next OCR decision, after October's 4-3 hold; ANZ, ASB and Westpac expect a riseResults
• DecemberMackenzie District Council report on exempting local residents from user-pays toilet chargesPolicy
• 1 DecemberSarah O'Donnell takes over from Mat Woods as chief executive of Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka TourismPeople
• 5 December to 10 JanuaryProposed free weekend parking in five Wellington City Council car park buildings, subject to a full council decisionPolicy
• 6 DecemberThe expedition ship Coral Adventurer opens Gisborne's cruise season, the first of 12 confirmed callsEvents
• 9 DecemberThe Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Statement and OCR decision, with a full new forecast trackPolicy
• Mid-DecemberMangatepopo Track reopens after the late-2025 fire damage, restoring the Tongariro Northern Circuit as a full loopConservation
• Mid-DecemberTarget settlement of SkyCity's $221 million sale of The Grand Hotel, Auckland, subject to Overseas Investment Office consentResults
• 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 WOW Exhibition premieres in Wellington with $880,000 of Major Events Fund support, alongside the first Global Wearable Art Summit, before touring internationallyEvents
• 2027The Sheraton opens in Christchurch in the converted Noah's Hotel buildingEvents
• 9-10 January 2027Race of Champions, the event's first New Zealand edition, on a temporary track inside Hnry Stadium, WellingtonEvents
• Early 2027MBIE resumes the Tourism Electronic Card Transactions series while the Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates are paused for a methodology reviewResults
• 23 January to 20 February 2027Air New Zealand runs three extra Shanghai to Auckland return services a week for Chinese New Year, ten a week in totalAviation

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
• Waitangi weekend 2027User-pays charges ($1.50 an entry via the Penny app) due at 33 Mackenzie District toilet facilities, starting with Fairlie, Burkes Pass, Tekapo, Pukaki and TwizelPolicy

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
• 5 MarchChase & Status at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, the stadium's first major concert since March 2024, with government event fundingEvents
• 23 MarchStarlux Airlines' filed start for Taipei-Sydney-Auckland, four a week, daily from 1 May 2027 (A330-900neo)Aviation

April 2027

• April to June 2027Drifter Auckland due to open, 414 beds in 80 roomsEvents
• April 2027Air New Zealand's Auckland to Western Sydney flights move from Monday, Wednesday and Friday to Tuesday, Thursday and SaturdayAviation
• By 6 April 2027Implementation plan for the Otago Central Lakes Deal due, within six months of the 6 October 2026 signingPolicy
• 7 AprilAir New Zealand's codeshare with Qantas ends; Air NZ and Virgin Australia have applied to expand their own codeshare in its placeAviation
• 16 AprilULTRA New Zealand returns to Wellington WaterfrontEvents
• 19-25 April 2027Conservation Week, theme "Nature loves a team effort", finishing on ANZAC DayConservation
• 22 AprilCommerce Commission interchange fee caps on Mastercard and Visa commercial credit cards take effectPolicy
• To April 2027Regional Tourism Boost Fund summer campaigns run, including the $644,902 top of the South Island push for 5,500 more AustraliansEvents

May 2027

• May to July 2027Carnival Cruise Line home-ports the Carnival Adventure in New Zealand, the first such arrangement since 2023Events
• 7-9 May 2027Supercars ITM New Zealand Double Header, round one, Ruapuna Raceway, ChristchurchEvents
• 11-13 May 2027TRENZ, Te Pae Christchurch, the fourth time the show has run in the cityEvents
• 11-13 May 2027TRENZ 2027, Ōtautahi ChristchurchEvents
• 14-16 May 2027Supercars ITM New Zealand Double Header, round two, Taupō International Motorsport ParkEvents

June 2027

• Winter 2027Air New Zealand's Christchurch to Bali service, three a week through to the end of August; on sale later in 2026Aviation
• Mid-2027Mainland Rail's Mainlander moves to regular services Christchurch to Invercargill, plus a 12-month Christchurch commuter rail trial from Rangiora and Rolleston; $3.4m Regional Infrastructure Fund loan, council share not yet signed offPolicy
• 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
• Mid-2027Feasibility work due on amalgamating Hospitality New Zealand and the Restaurant Association into one national bodyPolicy
• 30 JuneTourism Holdings' lease on the Waitomo Glowworm Cave expires; the cave's owner is the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapū TrustResults

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
• 1 JulyNew Customs Border Processing Levy rates take effect; arriving cruise passengers pay $7.20, down from $27.14Policy

August 2027

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

September 2027

• September 2027Air New Zealand's Auckland-Houston goes daily on the 787-9; Auckland-Taipei rises from three to five a week from late SeptemberAviation

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)
• Late 2027Restored Mataura Railway Station due to reopen, with the Southerner expected to callEvents

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
• End of 2027Havelock channel reinstatement and marina redevelopment due for completionPolicy

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
• 2028Rotorua Museum due to reopen to the public, with $7m to $8m still to be found for exhibitionsEvents

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

March 2028

• 28 MarchWiT Queenstown, the second New Zealand edition of the Web in Travel travel-technology conferenceEvents

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

October 2028

• 21 October to 19 November 2028ICC Men's T20 World Cup, co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia; National's proposed digital trans-Tasman travel trial is targeted to start before itEvents

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
• 2029Auckland Airport's baggage programme due to be complete, with more than 10km of conveyor replaced or added and a 3,000-bag automated early-bag storeAviation

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.