Hon Chris Bishop

Minister for Sport and Recreation

Hon Melissa Lee

Minister for Economic Development

A new MBIE report on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ demonstrates how New Zealand receives enduring social, economic and sporting benefits from hosting major sporting events, says Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop.

“Beyond creating the opportunity for incredible sporting moments which can unite and inspire the nation, like Hannah Wilkinson’s epic 47th minute winning goal in the Cup’s opening match, this report shows how major events provide limitless opportunities to enrich the lives of Kiwis.

“So many Kiwis were involved in this tournament. Over 100,000 kids took part in activities, the games were attended by more than 700,000 people, and nearly 60% of all New Zealanders tuned into a game on tv or online.

“From inspiring more people into being active and enriching our community sport through facility upgrades at the likes of Tahuna Park in Dunedin and Porritt Park in Hamilton – New Zealand continues to benefit from hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™.

“The tournament was also a platform for showcasing New Zealand to the world. There was a global audience of more than one billion, and amazingly, Tourism New Zealand’s ‘The Beautiful Game’ content was viewed 2.5 billion times.”

As Minister responsible for the Major Event fund, Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee says she is focused on ensuring events supported by the taxpayer deliver clear economic outcomes for New Zealand.

“With a two billion total global media engagement, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is a prime example of how major events provide an incredible opportunity to enhance New Zealand’s global reputation while attracting investment and visitors to spur economic activity.

“The dedicated leverage and legacy programme, led by the Major Events team at MBIE, saw around 50 different initiatives delivered, across our education, sport, tourism, international relations, business, health, arts and culture, and conservation sectors. This breadth demonstrates the wider benefits we aim to realise when investing in major and mega events.

“Looking forward, the Sport and Recreation Minister and I have made it a priority to attract and host the best global sporting events to allow New Zealand to capitalise on the benefits and opportunities major sporting events provide,” says Melissa Lee.

The reports released by MBIE can be found on the New Zealand Major Events Website here: https://www.majorevents.govt.nz/fifa-womens-world-cup-australia-and-new-zealand-2023/

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