Support tourism and events that attract out of region spending in Marlborough

The wine sector is the largest industry in Marlborough contributing approximately 20% of Marlborough’s GDP and accounting for one in five jobs. Around 80% of New Zealand’s wine exports are produced in Marlborough.

The Marlborough region is internationally recognised globally as a top wine producing region and coupled with our diverse landscape and the Marlborough Sounds is a top-rated wine tourism destination.

Our position as New Zealand’s largest wine region means that we can host and attract significant events including the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, now in its 38^th year, and Winepro.

The inaugural Winepro event was held in June 2024, a low season month for hospitality and tourism. An MDC review of the impact of Winepro showed that international card spend on hospitality and accommodation was up by 39% on the same month in 2023 and domestic spend was up 18% and the estimated total impact on Marlborough’s economy was an additional $781,415 in turnover.

Approximately 50% of attendees at the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival are from out of region.

We would like to request that MDC supports wine related (and other) events such as Winepro, that bring out of region visitors and support local businesses and industries including hospitality, accommodation, retail and event support.

Events such as Winepro also support the aspiration of Marlborough’s Destination Management Plan to Create a stable, year – round balanced destination that sustains, and where possible, regenerates the local environment and aligns with the marketing priority: to prioritise effort on smoothing seasonality, and MDC’s Economic Development Goal of being a recognised leader in agritech solutions in Australasia – specifically in Wine, Viticulture and the Blue Economy.

The next Winepro event will be in June 2026 and will build on the success of the 2024 event. In preparation for this event we are requesting council to develop, and fund implementation of, a plan for leveraging the opportunity afforded by Winepro. This could include:

• Sending a delegation to Adelaide to attend Winetech 2025 and to observe first hand the potential for Winepro to grow; to see how the city of Adelaide leverages the event for the benefit of the city.
• Hosting side events and delegations to showcase Marlborough’s agritech industry and opportunities in Marlborough for tech developers – e,g. MRC, Living lab and access to primary industries.

We also request that MDC:

• Commissions an independent regional economic impact assessment of Premier Events, including Marlborough Wine and Food Festival and Winepro to quantify the return to the region for hosting such events.
• Use information from economic impact assessments to inform and update the Marlborough Regional Events Strategy, including the development of clear and transparent policy and criteria for event support (financial and non-financial).
• Resource Destination Marlborough financially (budget) and skills (marketing) to complete the review of DM’s current and future services, development and implementation of a refreshed DM strategy.
• Involve the wine industry in the process to develop a Local Alcohol Policy that supports a vibrant region while supporting reduction in alcohol related harm

The wine sector is the largest industry in Marlborough contributing approximately 20% of Marlborough’s GDP and accounting for one in five jobs. Around 80% of New Zealand’s wine exports are produced in Marlborough.

The wine sector is the largest industry in Marlborough contributing approximately 20% of Marlborough’s GDP and accounting for one in five jobs. Around 80% of New Zealand’s wine exports are produced in Marlborough.

The Marlborough region is internationally recognised globally as a top wine producing region and coupled with our diverse landscape and the Marlborough Sounds is a top-rated wine tourism destination.

Our position as New Zealand’s largest wine region means that we can host and attract significant events including the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, now in its 38^th year, and Winepro.