This government won't count concerts as 'major events'.

This week, a news story was published that should infuriate Aotearoa's live music fans.

Kia ora.

It takes quite a lot to make me mad. Inconsiderate drivers get my heckles up. A nasty neighbour who played Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ at full volume for six months definitely did my head in. If one of my favourite bands announces an exclusive Australian tour you might find me tapping out a fiery newsletter. Aside from that, there’s not a lot that truly sends me into a spiral. Just celery. Please don’t feed me celery.

On Thursday, a news story sent me into a celery-esque tailspin. It covers an issue close to my heart: the lack of major artists touring the country, a trend I’m calling the big gig apocalypse. Published by RNZ, that story does an excellent job of covering the issues, but it’s mostly filled with things we already know. Yes, our dollar sucks. Yes, we need tax breaks and incentives to help entice major artists back. Yes, some big tours are still coming here – but nowhere near as many as we used to get.

I’m a completist, so I read that story all the way to the end. I’m glad I did. It’s at the bottom of that story, under the headline, ‘Concert profits go offshore,’ that I learned something truly stunning. It’s a short segment, but it says so much about our current climate that I’m going to republish all five sentences here in full so you can experience exactly what I experienced when I read them.

Last month, the government launched its tourism growth roadmap, including a $5 million fund for major events. Concerts were however not eligible. In a statement to RNZ, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said she was open to reviewing its criteria. “We’d be happy to look into it but need to be realistic about whether concerts generate economic value for New Zealand. Some may generate an economic boost for the region where they're held, however overall, the profit tends to go offshore.” (RNZ)

I read this once. I read it a second time, and a third. I read it over and over again because my brain was struggling to understand what was happening. I could barely believe what I was reading. Concerts are not considered to be major events? I had to make sure it was real, that those words were true. So I found the government’s tourism growth roadmap plans and began wading through documents to make sure they really do say that.

This wasn’t a fun evening activity. I would rather have finished season four of The Bear. But I had to dig in. In time, I found the relevant sections. It’s true: the government is investing $5 million to “boost” its Major Events Fund, which “supports the attraction and delivery of major events with high potential to attract international visitors”. To find out which events are eligible, you have click through to the strategy page, then the eligibility page.

There, you’ll find a series of bullet points. They’re keen on events that “profile and celebrate New Zealand’s national identity”. Your event needs to generate “international interest or visitation from outside New Zealand”. Sport is definitely a target: it’s mentioned 13 times on the strategy page, and seven more times on the eligibility page. Concerts and music festivals are mentioned just the once, and it’s not good news. To be eligible for this fund, the baseline requirement is this:

So, just to be clear, our government doesn’t believe music festivals or concerts are worthy of their support because they won’t help drive tourists to our country. Hmm. The front rows of Shihad’s final shows were packed with people from all over the world. A Scotsman draped his arm around me at Pearl Jam to sing ‘Alive’; he’d travelled here just for that show. A reader of this newsletter recently landed in Aotearoa to travel around the country to see four separate Marlon Williams shows, then tacked on an Erny Belle show too.

But nope, concerts apparently don’t drive tourism. Rugby, though. Get in there.

Let’s move onto the minister’s statement. This sheds light on exactly why the government believes it shouldn’t support concerts or music festivals. “[We] need to be realistic about whether concerts generate economic value for New Zealand,” Upston told RNZ. “Some may generate an economic boost for the region where they’re held, however overall, the profit tends to go offshore.”

Deep breath.

Yes, international artists are paid handsomely for performing here. I’m sure Chris Martin could buy another holiday home after Coldplay’s three Eden Park shows at the end of 2024. (He looked tired so he probably needed the break.) But one quick Google will take you to this NZ Herald story that details exactly how beneficial those shows were to Auckland’s hospitality sector, and it’s not to be underestimated. That story details how the city’s hotels were at 95% capacity, while the bars and restaurants around Eden Park reported a 500-600% increase.

During a harsh and ongoing economic downturn, they were pumping. The same benefits are reported whenever major tours travel to Pōneke and Ōtautahi. That story alone shows how wrong Upston is. I get that she doesn’t want taxpayers to help fund overseas artists. But to argue that concerts and festivals aren’t of economic value is pure horseshit. Until Upston shares her data on concert profits heading offshore, I’m not buying it.

I could go on. So I will. At Electric Avenue earlier this year, the city was completely maxed out. There wasn’t a single hotel room available. You could barely get a coffee. This report from The Press says the city was “practically sold out”. “Festivals like Electric Avenue inject much needed spending and activity into our town-centres. Bars, restaurants, transport businesses and retailers get a huge boost, not just accommodation providers,” said Hotel Council Aotearoa’s strategic director James Doolan.

According to the NZ Herald, visitors heading to Electric Avenue broke a spending record in place since 1974. Yet, according to government measures, Electric Avenue – now the biggest music festival in Australasia, one getting even bigger in 2026 – is not a “major event”. It won’t put Aotearoa on the map. It won’t drive tourism. According to Upston, “[we] need to be realistic about whether concerts generate economic value”.

Electric Avenue: apparently not a ‘major event’. Photo: Chris Schulz.

I can’t help but compare that attitude to the one just across the ditch. Since 2024, the Australian government has operated a $2.25 million Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund in an attempt to keep music festivals afloat. At the same time, it’s launched a Revive Live grant fund of $7.8 million offering support to live venues.

Over there, they seem to recognise the benefits of major tours. Tax breaks and incentives are offered to promoters because they understand just how valuable those shows are. A reminder: it’s estimated Taylor Swift’s three stadium shows in 2024 injected $1.2 billion (billion!) into Melbourne’s economy. Had she come here, she would have generated $70 million worth of economic activity, according to this RNZ report.

I don’t want to be mad. But that story served me up a huge plate of celery this week, and I felt like biting back. So, my question for Upston is this: How much money was spent by New Zealanders leaving the country so they could see Taylor Swift perform in Australia? How much are we spending on travelling to see Lady Gaga, Oasis, Kendrick Lamar and many others in 2025 because major artists won’t come here anymore?

Has she got any fucking data on that?

Industry veteran Ben Howe has an opposing view to me on this, which you can read here; you can email your thoughts to Louise Upston at louise.upston@parliament.govt.nz. Please, do.

It’s my supporters who allow me to cover topics like this, so thanks for supporting independent music journalism in Aotearoa. It’s only a few dollars a month; you can do so below. Thanks to everyone that already does this. Stay safe, listen to lots of music, and we’ll talk again next week.

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Bonus beat.