Web Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery v2

Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery

Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery

Applications for funding from the Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery are open.

The $54 million contestable fund has been set up to support transformative innovations that will create fundamental and meaningful impact across the New Zealand-Aotearoa visitor journey.

The Programme is administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). 

Business South’s role is to provide national support for applicants in the development of their proposals. This work includes guidance on preparing application forms, expression of interest forms and business cases, help navigating the Programme’s criteria and objectives, and/or offering advice on how to improve the project’s competitiveness through lifting the quality of the proposal at the application stage.

We strongly urge tourism and non-tourism entities from across New Zealand-Aotearoa to explore this opportunity.

Projects will need to stimulate, catalyse or achieve transformative innovation and deliver on the core values of tourism: Tiaki, Whanaungatanga, Manaaki and Pōtikitanga.

Projects must also achieve at least one of five desired outcomes:

  • Reduce carbon emissions;
  • Improve environmental sustainability;
  • Improve the resilience of tourism;
  • lift productivity or capability through technology; and/or
  • Promote and protect Taonga Māori throughout the New Zealand-Aotearoa visitor journey (where the project is led or delivered by iwi/hapū or Māori enterprises).

New Zealand Māori Tourism are providing advisory support for those projects that are aligned with Taonga Māori kaupapa and interests.

The funding for the Programme will be sought across two streams:

  • Discovery [Government to provide co-funding between $10,000 and $25,000 per project] – innovative ideas that may require further feasibility work to develop the concept (for example, development of a business case); and
  • Development [Government to provide co-funding between $100,000 and $10 million per project] – support innovative projects that are ready to be delivered and brought to life as well as having a full proposal and business case to support the delivery.

Funding from the Government will be on a co-funded basis with applicants needing to cover at least 50 per cent of the project’s cost. However, applicants under the Development stream who can demonstrate that their project will have significant positive community or sector-wide benefit may be eligible to receive up to 75 per cent co-funding.

Business South are delighted to be delivering support to applicants applying for the new fund. Two Business South Tourism Innovation Advisors located in Queenstown and Wanaka will deliver application support to tourism businesses nationally.

Please visit the Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery website (below) in the first instance where you will find information about the Programme’s criteria and application process as well as an eligibility self-assessment tool. Following review of the site, if you have specific questions, please email tourisminnovation@mbie.govt.nz where you will be directed to New Zealand Māori Tourism or Business South Inc.