A record-breaking field of tourism operators and industry leaders has been named among the finalists for the 2026 New Zealand Tourism Awards, with Māori tourism, environmental leadership, innovation and distinctive visitor experiences featuring strongly among this year’s contenders.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa says 177 entries were received across 12 award categories, smashing last year’s then-record total of 150 and providing another sign of confidence returning across one of Aotearoa’s most important industries.
TIA Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram says the record participation reflects an industry increasingly proud of its achievements and willing to demonstrate the quality of the experiences it provides domestic and international visitors.
Judges also reported a significant improvement in the quality of applications, with entrants providing stronger evidence to support their claims.
Māori tourism takes its place among the finalists
One of the major categories will be the Toroa ā-uta, Toroa ā-tai Māori Tourism Award, recognising Māori tourism businesses and experiences.
This year’s finalists are Muirs Tours, Te Wharewaka o Pōneke, Waka On Avon – Ko Tāne Limited and Whanganui Tours.
Māori tourism is also represented elsewhere in the awards.
Hapuku Kitchen – Te Kura Taka Kai is a finalist in the Tourism Excellence Award for Micro Business, while Waka On Avon – Ko Tāne Limited also appears among the finalists for the Innovation Award.
The Tourism Collaboration Award includes Native Nations, Te Aka Trails & The Visitor Promise, highlighting the role partnerships can play in developing distinctive experiences.
For Māori tourism, that distinctiveness is about more than adding a cultural component to a conventional visitor experience.
Whakapapa, manaakitanga, pūrākau, whenua, kai, waka and relationships with te taiao can provide visitors with experiences that could only happen in Aotearoa.
Record entries from businesses large and small
TIA says this year’s field includes a strong mix of established tourism businesses, smaller owner-operators, newcomers and first-time entrants.
That diversity is reflected across the finalists.
The Visitor Experience category includes Mad Campers, New Zealand Trails, Ōpuke Thermal Pools & Spa and Redwoods Treewalk & Glowworms.
The Micro Business finalists are Auckland Sea Kayaks, Glass Bottom Boat Whitianga, Hapuku Kitchen – Te Kura Taka Kai and The Seventh Generation.
The Small-Medium Business category features EcoZip Adventures, Hamilton Gardens, Wild Kiwi Tours and Ziptrek Ecotours.
At the other end of the scale, Intrepid Travel New Zealand, RealNZ, Shotover Jet and Southern Discoveries will compete for the Large Business Tourism Excellence Award.
Protecting te taiao recognised
Environmental performance remains a major part of the awards.
The finalists for the KiwiRail Tourism Environment Award are National Kiwi Hatchery, RealNZ, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and Ōkārito Kayaks.
The category reflects a growing expectation that successful tourism must contribute to the places and environments on which the industry depends.
For Aotearoa, that relationship is particularly important.
Our mountains, forests, waterways, wildlife and coastlines are central to the country’s international tourism proposition, but they are also taonga carrying cultural and environmental significance for mana whenua.
The challenge for tourism is therefore not simply attracting more visitors, but ensuring those visitors contribute positively to communities and landscapes.
That aligns with TIA’s Tourism Sustainability Commitment, which seeks to have tourism businesses contributing positively to people and culture, the environment and the economy.
Innovation becoming another competitive advantage
Innovation is also being recognised as the industry adapts to changing visitor expectations.
Air New Zealand, Redwoods Treewalk & Glowworms, Southern Discoveries and Waka On Avon – Ko Tāne Limited are finalists for the GO Rentals Innovation Award.
Collaboration is another theme, with ChristchurchNZ’s Central South Island Collective, Native Nations, Te Aka Trails & The Visitor Promise, Kiwi North and the International Travel College of New Zealand competing for the FareHarbor Tourism Collaboration Award.
The awards also recognise employers.
Hahei Explorer, Intrepid Travel New Zealand, Shotover Jet and RealNZ are finalists for the Tourism Talent Employer of Choice Award.
Community connections celebrated
The tourism industry does not operate separately from the communities visitors travel through.
That relationship is recognised through the Community Engagement Award.
Cycle Journeys, Muirs Tours, Ngā Manu Nature Reserve and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari are the four finalists.
For regional communities, tourism can support employment, local suppliers and small businesses while providing opportunities to tell local stories.
That can be particularly significant for Māori communities seeking to develop enterprises grounded in their own whenua, histories and cultural identity.
The people behind tourism also recognised
Individual leadership will also be celebrated.
Finalists for the Auckland Airport Tourism Industry Champion Award are Craig Buckland of Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve, Gavin M. Faull of Swiss-Belhotel International, Lisa Li of China Travel Service NZ and Sarah Farag of Southern Crossings.
The Emerging Tourism Leader finalists are Carl Bennett of Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Charlie Buchan of Tūhura Otago Museum, Narissa Phipps of First Light Travel and Ocean Mead of Auckland Sea Kayaks.
The prestigious Sir Jack Newman Award for Outstanding Industry Leader will also be presented at the awards dinner.
Supreme Award awaits the best of the best
The winners will be revealed at the New Zealand Tourism Awards Dinner on Wednesday 4 November at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, following Tourism Summit Aotearoa.
The winner of each of the ten business categories will also become eligible for the industry’s top honour — the Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award.
This year’s Tourism Summit carries the theme Tourism Inc: Distinctive by Design.
The summit will explore how deliberate choices around experience, innovation and identity can give New Zealand tourism a competitive advantage and create experiences that visitors cannot simply replicate elsewhere.
That question has particular relevance as Aotearoa competes for international travellers in an increasingly crowded global market.
Our advantage cannot simply be that we are another beautiful destination.
The strongest proposition is what makes this country different — our people, our stories, our culture, our landscapes and the experiences that belong specifically to Aotearoa.
With a record 177 award entries, TIA believes tourism operators are increasingly embracing that challenge.
And with Māori tourism businesses standing alongside some of the country’s biggest tourism brands among this year’s finalists, the 2026 awards will also showcase the growing importance of manaakitanga, whakapapa, culture and te taiao in defining what makes an Aotearoa visitor experience truly distinctive.
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