Values and priorities

Events that deliver a safe environment for participants and spectators.

We are committed to promoting good health and safety practices at events held in Tauranga to ensure that everyone has a positive experience and returns home safely to their whanau.

Event organisers are responsible for planning and managing risk at their event(s) by taking all reasonably practicable steps to deliver a healthy and safe event environment for participants, spectators and event staff. We are here to support event organisers in developing a plan to deliver a safe event. Please consult our event health and safety guidelines to understand our expectations. We also require event organisers to follow expectations outlined in the COVID Protection Framework.

Event health and safety guidelines

Events that encourage social inclusiveness and accessibility for our diverse communities.

To ensure a higher standard of living for all, our residents need to feel a sense of civic pride and belonging.

We will support event organisers that take positive steps towards making their event more accessible and socially inclusive for our diverse community.

Event organisers should give consideration to creating opportunities that, among other things:

• engage youth and encourage participation
• are age-friendly
• celebrate diversity and inclusion
• make provisions for vulnerable/disadvantaged communities to attend and participate, and/or
• reduce barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating.

Tauranga City Council Youth Action Plan (215kb pdf) Event accessibility toolkit (3mb pdf)

Events that demonstrate the importance of protecting and enhancing our natural environment.

We aspire to ensure a balance between a growing city and a healthy natural environment.

Our environment is the foundation of our city. It is imperative that event organisers consider the impact events have on our natural systems and surroundings, and manage environmental risks accordingly.

No matter the size or scale of the event, event organisers will need to take into account the following environmental considerations when planning and delivering their event:

• resource recovery and waste minimisation, including waste generated by the event and its spectators/participants (e.g. prizes/giveaways, packaging, goody bags etc.)
• the role of public transport (e.g. can you encourage alternative transport options that reduce the reliance on private vehicle use?)
• wastewater run off (e.g. have you considered where your wastewater is going?)
• fresh water supply (e.g. have you considered where your water supply is coming from?)
• protecting the natural environment (e.g. how does your event impact on the land, marine and coastal areas? How does your event effect air quality and the atmosphere?)
• noise management (e.g. how does the noise generated by your event impact on local residents and businesses?).

We have some valuable resources available in relation to event waste management. 

Event waste management

We are committed to celebrating our diverse cultural identities and fostering the creative arts to enhance the wellbeing of our community. We support events that provide access to, and participation in, arts and culture and clearly deliver on the draft Arts, Culture and Heritage Action and Investment Plan. (Plan to be finalised by June 2023).

Arts and culture draft strategy

As our city grows and changes, we want to ensure that no one in our community is left behind. We support events that activate areas of high deprivation and engage with our communities of need. These communities have been identified through the Draft Community Wellbeing Strategic Plan as Arataki, Gate Pa, Greerton, Kairua, Matapihi and Merivale.

Draft Community Wellbeing Strategic Plan (165kb pdf)

Arataki (1.9mb pdf) Gate Pa (1.9mb pdf) Greerton (2.0mb pdf) Kairua (1.7mb pdf) 
Matapihi (1.6mb pdf) Merivale (1.8mb pdf)

We welcome events to our city that inspire social connectivity, build community pride, reduce participation barriers for all and promote mental wellness and healthy living.

We value the strong whanaungatanga we have with tangata whenua and recognise the importance of nurturing Māoritanga principles.

We are interested in supporting events that are driven by tangata whenua, promote and share tikanga Māori, and/or bring awareness to events of historical significance for Tauranga Moana Māori.

We aim to create a balance of activity across all of Tauranga’s beautiful parks, reserves, open spaces and venues, to encourage residents and visitors to discover/rediscover new places in our city and minimise the risk of fatigue of our more popular spaces.

Events that occur in the following locations will be eligible to apply for funding:

• Marine Park
• Pāpāmoa Beach 1 (near the Pony Club)
• Simpson Reserve 
• Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka
• The Historic Village
• Kopurererua Valley (K Valley)
• City centre (defined as between Fourth Avenue to the south and Marsh Street to the north, and between Takitimu Drive to the west and the harbour to the east).

This list may be altered from time to time at Council’s sole discretion.

Marine Park (766kb pdf) Papamoa Beach Reserve (913kb pdf) Simpson Reserve (888kb pdf)
Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka (563kb pdf) The Historic Village (926kb pdf)
Kopurererua Valley (3.9mb pdf) City centre (1.2mb pdf)

Tauranga has a natural environment that welcomes and encourages sporting and active leisure events. These events can not only bring athletes, enthusiasts and spectators from around New Zealand to Tauranga, they can also showcase our city to the world and build community pride. We are interested in supporting events that provide great sporting and active leisure experiences for our residents and visitors.