Market Report: New Zealand

New Zealand’s live entertainment scene in 2024 has been characterised by a mix of record-breaking stadium tours and challenges for smaller venues and festivals. The year saw P!nk make history as the first female artist to headline Eden Park, New Zealand’s national stadium, and shows from the Foo Fighters, who performed across Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, and Matchbox Twenty, who returned after a decade-long hiatus.

Primary ticketing
New Zealand’s primary ticketing market is dominated by a mix of international and local players including AEG-owned AXS, TEG’s Ticketek, and Flicket. Ticketmaster New Zealand stands as a major force, with general manager Anjelica Devoe emphasising their technological focus: “We’re always enhancing both the fan and client experience. From the launch of our global app to our new Smart Queue technology, we’re dedicated to ensuring tickets are getting into the hands of fans seamlessly.”

Ticketmaster’s commitment to innovation is evident in their ongoing efforts to improve the ticketing experience. Devoe elaborates: “Biometric express entry is gaining popularity, and we’re excited to collaborate with our venue partners to introduce this technology in New Zealand, building on its success in Australia and the US.”

Local company iTICKET also plays a significant role. Sarah Cowley, chief commercial officer, notes a recent shift: “We have also seen an influx of ticketing companies and promoters self-ticketing in NZ post covid – there have been some horror stories of poor practice, refund issues, and ticket revenue being advanced to promoters.”

While specific figures are not available, industry leaders suggest the market is holding steady despite economic challenges

Flicket clients include Northern Bass, Rhythm & Alps, and Electric Avenue festivals; sporting events such as the sell-out Rugby Finals at New Zealand’s largest stadium and the ASB Classic tennis tournament; the Blues, the Hurricanes, and the Chiefs sports teams; plus the New Zealand Agriculture show. CEO and cofounder Ben Calvert says, “Flicket has successfully secured the majority of market share in New Zealand and we are rapidly growing our presence in Australia with independent rights holders and promoters.

“After recently opening offices in Los Angeles, the US, and Sydney, we are looking to bring our disruptive ticketing and marketing technology to larger markets and have already begun to see our white-label technology getting significant uptake.

“As we are a promoter’s first agency, our biggest challenge in New Zealand has been around government/council venues going to tender for ticketing contracts, but these contracts have significant content elements.

“This reduces the chance of companies that specialise in ticketing (and may have better technology and pricing) from winning while increasing fees and risk for promoters and their fans.

“This has been a key driver for our expansion to international markets as well as diversifying our offering to include services such as sponsorship solutions in NZ.”

“Many of the events industry advocacy groups are supporting an NZ Ticketing Code of Conduct, due for release over coming months”

Distribution of sales
“Digital tickets remain the most common type in New Zealand, representing 90% of sales in the market,” according to Devoe. This aligns with Cowley’s observation of a “trend towards more ‘self-service’ ticketing options as promoters become more savvy in managing their own ticket sales, and the technology enables this.”

Value of market
While specific figures are not available, industry leaders suggest the market is holding steady despite economic challenges. According to Cowley, “Given the huge range (genre/pricing/event size) of content both locally and internationally, it’s actually holding its own in terms of sales. It could absolutely be stronger, but given the cost of living is the highest it’s ever been here, people are still spending on entertainment (less so on retail or high-cost purchasers).”

Secondary ticketing
Secondary ticketing remains a concern in New Zealand. Cowley notes: “Many of the events industry advocacy groups are supporting an NZ Ticketing Code of Conduct, due for release over coming months.” Ticketmaster is addressing this issue, as Devoe explains: “We’re offering initiatives to ensure buyers have the confidence to purchase and commit early, addressing any late buying behaviour. By providing options such as resale, enhanced refund rights, and ticket transfer options, we aim to create a seamless and positive experience for our fans.”

“NZ missed out on some of the major touring artists, but any that did come here did well”

International/domestic splits & genres
New Zealand has seen a mix of high-profile international tours and strong local performances in 2024. However, Cowley notes, “NZ missed out on some of the major touring artists (Taylor Swift) but any that did come here (Foo Fighters, P!nk, Ed Sheeran) did well.”

Cultural analysis
New Zealand’s live music scene shows strong support for local talent, especially in challenging economic times. “Probably the most impacted is the tier 2-3 tours/content. We ticket a lot of smaller local productions, and they are getting huge support (low-cost tickets, ‘supporting local’ is quite strong here), but many of the festivals or high-price ticket ‘experience’ types of events are struggling to sell out, as they did in previous years,” says Cowley.

Taxes & charges
Goods and Services Tax (GST) is 15% and applies to tickets.