About Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
Our role is to attract domestic and international visitors and increase length of stay and expenditure through effective destination marketing, development, and management activity. HWT promotes the Waikato as a preferred destination for domestic and international business, events and leisure travellers and provides leadership in regional product and event development, investment, and sector capability. As passionate ambassadors of the region, HWT aims to ensure visitors enjoy the wide variety of experiences and places throughout the mighty Waikato, in turn contributing to economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits for the community.
Who we are
We have an independent governance board and a dedicated team who work for Hamilton & Waikato Tourism.
Find out more about our board and team
What we do
Our funding
Working under a private-public partnership model, we receive funding of $1,228,591 from our four city and district councils, including:
- Hamilton City Council
- Waipā District Council
- Waikato District Council
- Matamata-Piako District Council.
The funding enables us to undertake core destination marketing and management activities to promote the region to visitors, media and the travel trade, and offer operator support, capability building and development.
Trade & leisure marketing
Our marketing activities include domestic consumer campaigns, our regional website waikatonz.com and social media channels, media and trade activities, familiarisations, sales meetings/trips, attendance at trade shows and working with key industry partners including Tourism New Zealand, travel trade and neighbouring RTOs.
As part of the private-public membership model HWT also looks to local industry to partner with us each year on our opt-in business partnership programme (across consumer, trade, leisure and business events workstreams). These initiatives enable us to work collaboratively as a region and achieve scale and impact in what remains a highly competitive marketplace both internationally and domestically.
Find out more about our business membership opportunities
Convention bureau & business events
We assist with the organisation of all types of business events, including conferences, meetings, networking functions, workshops and special events. A range of services are available, from suggestions and advice on venues, information about support services or ideas on team-building activities, through to full proposals and conference bids.
Find out more about business events
Destination management & product development
HWT leads the region’s Destination Management Plan and provides leadership and guidance for regional product development, sector investment, and industry capability building through workshops and access to resources and tools. HWT works with councils and tourism operators to identify and support opportunities to strengthen our region’s visitor proposition, experience and infrastructure. An underlying Kaupapa of the region’s Destination Management Plan and HWT’s work is regenerative tourism and stewardship of the region across the four wellbeings - economic, social, environmental and cultural.
Find out more about Waikato Destination Management Plan
Find out more about the industry support HWT offers
Find out more about our industry events
Statement of Intent
To request a copy of our statement of intent, please call +64 7 843 0056
Contact Us
Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
201 Airport Road, RD2
Hamilton,3282
Phone: 07 843 0056
Email: info@waikatonz.com