TRENZ, New Zealand’s largest international tourism business event, kicked off in style last night with a brilliant, electrifying welcome function at the newly opened New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.
Delegates were spellbound by the superb sounds of Synthony, a fabulous collaboration of the biggest electronic dance anthems with a live orchestra, DJ’s, vocalists and featured musicians, with fantastic lead singers.
Alongside TRENZ, Auckland also hosted the International Media Marketplace (IMM) for the first time in New Zealand. IMM, the brainchild of Australian travel industry luminary Nick Wayland, founder and head of Travmedia, is now held worldwide and is regarded as a bastion of the interface between the travel industry and media.
TRENZ 2026 is the first time in nearly a decade that the flagship New Zealand tourism show has been held in Auckland.
The event brings together tourism operators, international travel buyers, media and industry leaders from around the world. International delegates from key visitor markets, including Australia, China, Japan, Korea, India, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, will attend.
As Auckland’s regional tourism organisation (RTO), Tātaki Auckland Unlimited is leading the region’s hosting role and working alongside partners like Auckland International Airport to showcase Auckland as a vibrant, connected and world-class destination ready to welcome visitors from around the world.
With more than 1200 delegates expected at TRENZ 2026, the event is projected to deliver over NZ$3 million in economic impact for Auckland. Beyond that, the 16,000 business meetings taking place across the three-day program will create valuable international connections and long-term opportunities for New Zealand tourism.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Chief Executive Nick Hill says hosting TRENZ is a pivotal opportunity to showcase Auckland’s revitalisation to the global tourism industry.
“It’s fantastic to welcome TRENZ back to Auckland for the first time since 2017 and to showcase a city and region that has evolved significantly over the past decade.
“Auckland in 2026 is a very different place to the one delegates last visited. There’s fresh energy across the city, from transformed waterfront spaces and new accommodation to major infrastructure like the NZICC, which provides a world-class home for events like this.”
“TRENZ gives us a powerful platform to position Auckland as more than a gateway for international buyers and media.
“We want delegates to take a fresh look at Auckland and get a taste of our urban culture, nature, food and events all underpinned by the manaakitanga that makes this region so special.”
As part of the program, over 340 buyers will participate in a familiarisation experience, involving 25 local operators across 22 itineraries. These famil’s will cover a wide area of Auckland, from the city centre and Waiheke Island to Matakana and the west coast, providing the industry with a chance to showcase their trade-ready products firsthand to international buyers.
The International Media Marketplace (IMM), held for the first time in New Zealand, connects tourism operators directly with leading international journalists through a program of pre-scheduled meetings. The participating media, representing outlets such as The Age, BBC Travel, Prestige Taiwan, Travel + Leisure, and Condé Nast Traveller, will also have a chance to experience Auckland firsthand through famils to Waiheke Island, Matakana, and the city centre.
The combined events are expected to provide significant opportunities to raise Auckland’s international profile, strengthen tourism partnerships and support future visitation growth.
TRENZ is managed and delivered by Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) on behalf of the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust, which owns the event.
by Peter Needham at TRENZ 2006 in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland – (c) 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
About the Author.
With more than 35 years in travel journalism, Peter Needham has filed stories from Fleet Street to Fiji, and just about everywhere in between. As Managing Editor (Australasia) for Global Travel Media, he shapes industry coverage with the steady hand of someone who’s seen fashions come and go and knows what lasts.
Since going freelance in 1993, his byline has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review, Reader’s Digest and Qantas’ inflight magazines. He edited Inside Tourism for seven years, wrote the long-running Travel Tales column for Vacations & Travel, and even crafted copy for Tourism Australia ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
A Reuters, Guardian and AAP veteran, Peter has travelled widely from South American backpacking trails to a Saudi military hospital, gathering stories the old-fashioned way: by being there.
