Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown demands $220m tourism funding in Weekend Herald ad
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is leading a coalition of over 100 leaders to demand $220 million in annual tourism funding from the central government. The campaign argues that local councils bear the infrastructure costs of tourism while the government collects the tax revenue.
Why it matters
This highlights a growing tension between local and central government regarding the fiscal responsibility of managing tourism infrastructure.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has rallied more than 100 leaders in a fresh push to get the Government to cough up millions for tourism.
The demand has been splashed across a full-page advertisement in today’s Weekend Herald .
It calls for the Government to give councils $220 million a year to help cover tourism costs.
Under the headline “Billions from tourism goes to Government. Yet the cost of tourism stays local”, the advertisement argues councils are being left to foot the bill for visitors while central government collects billions in tourism-related revenue.
It claims central government pockets around $10.5 billion in tourism-related revenue each year, including $4.4b in GST on tourism expenditure in the year to March 2025.
However, local government receives no direct income from visitor spending in its regions.
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