The Manly Golf Club in Sydney played host to some of New Zealand’s movers and shakers in the business events and tourism industries in early February to celebrate Waitangi Day, thanks to Chris Phillips and his team at Millennium Hotels and Resorts. The event is now in its third year and has as sponsors companies including Air New Zealand, Emirates and Avis. The winning team this year was from Montana Wines. Pictured left is Lincoln Bache and Carmel Catanuto from Emirates with Millennium’s Chris Phillips. Pictured right is Heidi Dundas and Daniel Palmer of Air New Zealand who were offering vodka shots on the par 3 third hole.

Destination Rotorua Convention Bureau and Rotorua conference and incentive operators treated 22 corporate clients from Auckland for an afternoon of sailing in late 2005. While the weather looked iffy in the morning the afternoon fined up for a great day of sailing. After the briefing from the Sail NZ staff, guests and hosts were split into two teams NZL40 (tan hats) and NZL41 (blue hats). The group took to the water to embark on a two hour match race and embraced the challenge that lay ahead. Teams rotated to “exert some energy on the grinders” and enjoy the sun and views of the City of Sails. The end result - NZL40 came out the winners! Rotorua bureau manager, Sandra Rippey, said sailing is a great way to get people to interact with each other to achieve a common goal. “It is amazing how much you learn about your grinding partner!” After the sailing a cocktail event was held at Degree Bistro Bar where prizes of Rotorua chocolate mud were presented to the winning team and spot prizes drawn.

Something for those Queenstown groups who want a taste of a traditional New Zealand hangi but don’t want to go anywhere… Unique Hangis comes to your hotel, conference venue or anywhere and prepares, cooks and serves in the traditional way. Contact uniquehangis@xtra.co.nz for further details.

Mike Tamaki was a special guest at a seminar in Tauranga in late 2005 entitled ‘The way forward for tourism in the Coastal Bay of Plenty’. Mr Tamaki is a board member of Tourism New Zealand and highly regarded in the tourism industry courtesy of his successful Rotorua-based business, Tamaki Tours. He began Tamaki Tours in 1989 with money made from the sale of his brother’s motorbike. Tamaki Tours is the only Maori company to ever win New Zealand Tourism’s supreme award.

Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing (DRTM) has ceased its joint operating web cam venture. The web cam enabled visitors to the rotoruaNZ.com website to take control of a live web cam positioned on the Rotorua District Council tower for a view of the city. DRTM believes while the web cam was popular it did not offer enough value-for-money or flow on business.

Readers of the world’s leading travel magazine, Conde Nast, voted Queenstown the best New Zealand Pacific Rim City. The 18th Annual Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards placed Sydney and Melbourne in first and second place respectively as the Top Pacific Rim Cities, with Queenstown coming in third. Destination Queenstown CEO, David Kennedy, said the result reaffirms Queenstown’s appeal to a wide range of visitors throughout the world.

Destination management company NZ Destinations® and Queenstown-based Reveal Management joined forces late last year when Reveal took over the NZ Destinations Queenstown operations and business. Reveal commenced trading under the NZ Destinations banner on December 19 as a result of a strategic growth plan for both companies and the culmination of months of planning. NZ Destinations has been operating under the guidance of managing director Emma McDonald since 2003. Ms McDonald said the move is an exciting development which will not only benefit the companies’ existing clients and refine the global offering of NZ Destinations, but it will also have a significant positive impact on the resort town’s international inbound corporate events market. In order for Ms McDonald to continue growing the NZ Destinations brand and continue delivering the results the brand is renowned for, a dedicated focus to the Queenstown region was essential. The search for the perfect fit partnership went no further than Mike Stewart and his Sydney-based partner Harald Ulriksen of the newly formed Queenstown-based Reveal Management.

Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing’s new event publication, Rotorua Events was launched in late 2005, replacing the old It’s On in Rotorua events publication. Planners can download a copy of the publication by visiting www.ruaNZ.com and visiting the Trade and Media/Publication Downloads section.

Eventionz, one of New Zealand’s most creative destination management companies, together with The Millennium Hotels and Air New Zealand, treated a group of Australian Professional Conference Organisers to a familiarisation of New Zealand’s South Island, which included a spellbinding evening in Queenstown’s “Hogwart’s School of Wizardry and Witchery” at Stoneridge Estate. “The absolute highlight was The Harry Potter dinner at Stoneridge Winery - it was really a great evening,” said participant Natalie Royer from MP Travel. Accompanied by Harry Potter, the group was chauffeured in a 1937 fully restored Bedford bus to various familiar locations from the Harry Potter films including the Ministry of Magic and Privet Drive (where Harry’s Aunt and Uncle live), the hamlet of HogMeads and the Great Lake at Hogwarts. On arriving at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchery at Stoneridge Estate, Dumbledore greeted the group by casting magic spells and sharing some of Harry’s most favourite famous dishes!

New Zealand’s largest hotel owner and operator announced in early February that it had changed its company name from CDL Hotels New Zealand Limited to Millennium & Copthorne Hotels New Zealand Limited, with immediate effect. The new name builds on the strength and internationally recognised Millennium and Copthorne brands. Managing director Mr BK Chiu is delighted with the change. “Our Millennium, Copthorne and Kingsgate brands are well established in the New Zealand accommodation market and from today our shareholders and investors can also track the Millennium and Copthorne name on the New Zealand Stock Exchange,” he said. The name change also brings it in line with its parent company Millennium and Copthorne Hotels plc (M&C) which itself owns, manages and/or operates 91 hotels in 15 countries around the world. Millennium and Copthorne Hotels New Zealand Limited is a 70.22 per cent subsidiary of M&C. M&C is 53 per cent owned by Singapore-listed City Developments Limited which is a member of the Hong Leong Group Singapore. The company has also formally launched a refreshed global logo highlighting all three Millennium, Copthorne and Kingsgate brands, as well as a recently revamped global website - www.millenniumhotels.com.

The New Zealand premiere screening of The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe attracted more than 2000 guests in Auckland on December 8. The magical movie of the much-loved C.S. Lewis classic children’s book was shown at The Civic Theatre in Queen St where ice sculptures, huskies, Christmas trees and billowing snow greeted celebrities such as actor John Cleese, and Prime Minister Helen Clark. Prior to the movie about 200 guests attended THE EDGE® Christmas party at the Auckland Town Hall where they had to step through a wardrobe complete with fur coats and into “Narnia” for the function.