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Tourism NZ spends nearly $10m on influencer advertising - is it delivering?

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Tue, 6 Jan 2026, 10:06am
Photo / 123RF
Photo / 123RF

Tourism NZ spends nearly $10m on influencer advertising - is it delivering?

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Tue, 6 Jan 2026, 10:06am

Concern Tourism New Zealand's chasing clicks, with no breakdown available for the millions spent on social media influencers. 

A response to the Taxpayers’ Union shows $9.4 million has been spent since 2023 on 65 influencers across global markets. 

They were engaged to promote campaigns ranging from destination marketing to Minecraft downloadable content and online shopping promotions. 

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams told Andrew Dickens that when you’re spending so much money, it’s not good enough for Tourism New Zealand to give the middle finger to transparency.  

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