WellingtonNZ's Heidi Morton on the brighter future ahead for city events

Head of Events & Experiences at WellingtonNZ, Heidi Morton chats with Nick Mills on the upcoming event calendar for Wellington.

They talk about the importance of events for the city and how WellingtonNZ is working to attract events to the city.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk zed B.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome back. We're talking to Heidi Morton, general manager of
Events and Experiences at Wellington and Z. They're the organization
that we rely as Wellingtonians to bring events here, make
things happen, make our city great. So she's got a
very important position in the greater goodness the gray or

(00:33):
well being is better word for Wellington. Good morning, Heidi, Oh,
good morning. Note. So it's been a bit of a
tough couple of years, hasn't it? For us?

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Walentonians most definitely has. The economic conditions have not been
helpful for both residents and in terms of attracting events
into the city.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
We keep hearing our visits and numbers are down and
foot traffics down in the CBD. What is and what
will Wellington and Z you know do? What concreek plan? Have?
They got to fix it and make it better for us?

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, Well, there's a two ponged approach. I guess one
is from tourism for getting residents and locals spending in
the CBD, and also the events as well. So events
bring people into the city and boost the economy. And
also strengthen local pride. So there's a two pong approach
to that. And you're currently with the government investing over

(01:33):
seventy million dollars across New Zealand and events and tourism,
we're in a really good position to ensure that we
can utilize some of those funds to drive further visitation.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Are we fighting hard enough for that money? Are we
trying hard enough to get events? Because you know we're
hearing this just this week there's two three or four
days in Auckland where you can't even get a hotel room. Now,
I can't remember that being the case in Warrington for
many years.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, I mean, Auckland is having an amazing week this
week with their events. Obviously are one of the only
concerts at Eden Park this year. So I think there
is some work right across the country to be done.
We are really pushing really hard. I mean we're really
trying to say, hey, events in Wellington work well. There

(02:23):
is nothing better than a full stadium and a full
suite of venues across the city to see what difference
it makes along with the sunshine obviously, so you know,
obviously we need to really make sure that Wellington does
get represented from those funds.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Can you paint us a picture of how the next
twelve months is going to look like in Wellington for
events or for anything happening in the city.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, sure, Well, we hope to hear very soon in
the Government announce what funding has come across the country.
We expect to start hearing positive news by the end
of the year. Twenty six will be fantastic. We've got
a very strong pipeline of events, not only across the

(03:10):
city from a major events perspective, but also in our
venues and you know, the new stuff that the government
money will help worth. Along with boosting some of our
current events, we'll really ensure that we can start to
get some traction. And I feel like, whilst there's still
a lot of suffering out there from our residents and
also our businesses, that hopefully we're turning a corner and

(03:34):
if we can all think positive about what's coming, then
hopefully that we'll start showing through in the numbers.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
I mean, I know you're not going to tell us
here now what specific events are coming, but is there
going to be more events at sky Stadium?

Speaker 3 (03:49):
We certainly hope so. And that's what the forty million
dollar Events Attraction Fund from the government is. I'm really
looking at how can we get the most visitors into
cities and regions. So obviously Sky will play a part
in that.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Anything exciting, Come on, tease us a little bit, get
us up a bit, come on, help us out here,
Hoy do we try to make it work? Come on?

Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, well, there's a number of really exciting things, you know.
We we're putting our hopes hopefully on another really great
festival if that can come across, and then some events
in sky Stadium, some which you know will be different
than we haven't seen before, and others might be similar

(04:33):
genres to what we have seen. Yeah, I think twenty
twenty six will definitely be the time to actually partake
in events in Wellington.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
So apart from wow, what else do we know we've
got next year?

Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (04:48):
Well, stuff obviously that we can answer. Well, We've got
the Black Apps playing the Test at the Basin Reserve
coming up in December, and then more cricket at sky
Stadium in March. We've obviously also got Michelangelo exhibition opening
in Tarkena. We've got a concert on the eighth of
January Molly in a white Honey park. We've got ed

(05:13):
Sharon's loop towards. We've got the Warriors versus Dolphin's on
Anzac Day. How lucky are we to have that clash
on Anzac Day? Falt Lane Ultra Running Nuntain Biking Ultra event.
And then later in the year the Cornelia Parker Exhibition
opening at the City Art Gallery, our Turerol Festival of
the Arts, which includes a New Zealand exclusive by Nick Cave.

(05:37):
So there's certainly something for everyone coming up. And that's
just the stuff that we've been allowed, all that we
can announce at the moment.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
We keep hearing about the handbrake that is Wellington, things
like transport safety, empty shop fronts. When you are trying
to sell Wearrington as an exciting events seed to promote
us and organizers, how difficult do you find it?

Speaker 3 (05:59):
I don't find that. Part of it difficult really is
obviously the travel and the expense of getting the events
here to Wellington, so it is more you know, in
a lot of cases, unless it's coming from Australia, it
is more than one flight away, so that will always
be difficult for us and us just proving you know
through all the data that we have that Wellingtonians still
love going to events, even though you know, the economic

(06:22):
conditions have been you know, quite openly shown that it's
been difficult for Wellingtonians for good events. Wellingtonians are still
coming out to it and visitors are still coming to Wellington.
So we really pushed those two things and how easy
it is to put on events when they're actually here.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Now you've only had a few weeks with the new
mayor and the new council. Does it feel different? Do
you feel that they got their doors open and they
want to do more to make the city more buoyant?

Speaker 3 (06:50):
Yeah? Absolutely. You know, speaking to the mayor, he's also
very pro events, and that's not to say the previous
council weren't, but it's really great to see that as
one of his priorities.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
Right So bottom line and listeners are listening, Can you
say with your hand on your heart one hundred percent
that we are going to be more buoyant than twelve
months time, More events, gigs, things happening in our city
in twelve months.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
Time, absolutely, and more visitors as well. So I feel
very confident about that, and I would rarely love that
willing Tonian's got behind that as well and come out
to the events.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
Well, let's hope that they do, and let's hope that
we have got more exciting times ahead because it's certainly
been a tough couple of years.

Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yeah, it has. And look, some data that we just
recently got from when High Tide Festival was on really
showed what a difference that events can make. We have
things right across the city on that weekend, so the
High Tide Festival, the pheneexcessus Auckland, Neirc Concidera, we had
darts at TSB and you know, the uplift of spending
Visita nights and the city is clear to see in

(08:01):
that data. So we just need to keep getting more.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
Of them, absolutely, and that's your job and that's what
we're alyveing on you for. Yeah, great, no pressure, Hide
he just get some more gigs in town, no PreCure,
BG up the phone, no pressure.

Speaker 3 (08:15):
Well, what I can say is that we're trying very hard.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
Great Hiding Morton, thank you for joining us this morning
and having a chat. She's the general manager Events and
Experiences at Wellington and Z and it's hope that those
promises come to fruition and we get our damn city
going again.

Speaker 1 (08:32):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio