Since becoming the Minister of Hospitality and Tourism in January last year, Louise Upston has been incredibly proud of the work done so far to boost both sectors and support further growth.
Upston said that the industry was recovering, and a more optimistic approach has been taken to encourage its future development.
She said the industry has continued to work closely together amid challenging economic times, and that announcements like the arrival of the MICHELIN Guide to local shores was a testament to the dedication and commitment of the industry and its leaders.
The MICHELIN Guide’s expansion to New Zealand was something essential to the industry, according to Upston.
“I met with leaders of various associations, and asked them what we needed to do in order to grow these industries, and the unanimous answer was to get the MICHELIN Guide here. And that is exactly what we did,” she said.
The Minister’s initial meetings followed on from the 2024 Hospitality Summit, where the industry outlined its desire to bring the MICHELIN Guide to New Zealand. Upston said it was a huge accomplishment to achieve the end goal of getting the Guide to New Zealand in only 12 months. This included inviting representatives from the Guide to explore the landscape of cuisine in New Zealand, and ensuring the sector was to the calibre of the Guide’s standards, which it was.
The first MICHELIN Guide featuring New Zealand restaurants will also be published sometime in the middle of 2026.
Since she took up the portfolio, Minister Upston has believed there wasn’t enough promotion of the hospitality industry, and that New Zealand’s food culture is an essential element in elevating international visitor numbers back to 2019 levels.
“We are ready to share our food and culture with travellers from all over the world. New Zealand restaurants have a great story to tell,” said Upston.
While 2025 may have been a challenging year for many, Upston was confident that 2026 would deliver the growth the industry needs, supporting the businesses that are the backbone of the hospitality and foodservice sectors.
A highlight on the calendar will be the second Hospitality Summit, which the Minister said will be in the first half of the year. She considered the 2025 summit to be a key initiative that allowed greater alignment across the hospitality and tourism sectors.
“The input of hospitality leaders has been instrumental in delivering our Tourism Boost. The shared knowledge of leaders has been invaluable in helping chart future directions.”
Collaboration will also continue with industry leaders and the Government to attract more visitors to New Zealand, but also ensure they explore the best of the country’s culinary and tourism offerings.
The hospitality workforce has risen by 15 percent since 2022, and international visitors have reached 88 percent of 2019 arrivals. This has largely been led by visitors from Australia, who make up a larger percentage of arrivals in 2025 than in 2019, while markets like China have recovered to a lesser extent. Visitors from the United States and the United Kingdom have also shown a general trend of recovery as well.
With this industry growth, a strong priority for 2026 will be to attract more people into the hospitality workforce, especially younger generations. Minister Upston said there were so many opportunities for career development and longevity in the hospitality industry.
Another standout priority for Upston has been the Tourism Growth Roadmap, which has outlined the Government’s plan to increase the number of international visitors to New Zealand, double the value of tourism exports and grow the number of Kiwis in tourism and hospitality jobs.
Future targets for the Minister have included doubling the value of tourism exports and protecting the reputation of the local hospitality industry.
