The Zespri AIMS Games has proved a bumper bright spot amid a recession, with latest figures showing the annual tournament recently injected $8.78 million into Tauranga’s economy.

An economic impact report was commissioned during the September 7-13 sporting showpiece in Tauranga, which attracted 12,660 intermediate-aged athletes and their supporters from around New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Those economic numbers have now been crunched, confirming 26,825 unique attendees came to the event, generating 79,201 visitor nights and a net benefit of $4.33m.

That’s a significant jump from the $3,152,265 net benefit last recorded in 2019.

”As a city, we can be immensely proud to have hosted such a successful tournament and the Zespri AIMS Games shows what happens when we all work together,” Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said.

“Tauranga City Council is a strategic partner of the event and the report also shows how much the Tauranga residents surveyed appreciate their role as hosts, with 91% of residents feeling the tournament increased their pride in the city this year, and 80% agreeing it made Tauranga a more enjoyable place to live.”

And the economic benefits weren’t just limited to visitor spend.

An aerial view of Mount Maunganui during this year's Zespri AIMS Games. Photo / Jamie Troughotn/Dscribe Media

The record-breaking media exposure from the 2024 tournament may have long-reaching rewards for local Tauranga businesses, with a total of 577 press, online news, radio and television reports referencing the Zespri AIMS Games over a four-month period.

”This year, we really focused on showcasing the inspiring, energising stories from our athletes and supporters,” tournament director Kelly Schischka explained.

“The Zespri AIMS Games is about far more than gold medals and winners and our coverage this year reflected that and really resonated with people. Our stories reached a potential audience of 14,520,063 and represented an advertising space (ASR) spend of $2,824,714, with Tauranga’s facilities and natural beauty all to the fore.”

This was a significant increase from 200 news media reports in 2023, which had an audience of 10,693,970 and ASR of $1,317,165, while the 2024 tournament also produced a social media reach of 1.26 million and 2.25 million impressions.

Organisers also produced four editions of a brand-new, dedicated newspaper - The AIMS Gamer - which proved to be wildly successful.

As the local Bay of Plenty MP, Tom Rutherford spent time attending the tournament this year and said it was an exemplar event which showed what was possible.

”I was incredibly impressed by this year’s Zespri AIMS Games,” he said.

“While the sporting achievements were outstanding, what truly stood out was seeing thousands of young athletes coming together, supporting each other, and representing their schools with pride. This tournament has become a blueprint for what regional sporting events can achieve, and it showcases the Bay of Plenty’s ability to host world-class youth competitions.

“The economic benefits are clear but the real value lies in the confidence and connections these young athletes take home with them.”

As well as a sharp increase in registrations from athletes with disabilities, up to 31 across a number of codes, the 2024 Zespri AIMS Games also introduced two new sports this year, in surfing and orienteering.

Action from this year's Zespri AIMS Games. Photo / Jamie Troughotn/Dscribe Media

Orienteering was held at The Historic Village and McLaren Falls Park, while surfing transformed Tay Street Beach into a competitive arena for two days.

Other initiatives included the launch of the Positive Vibes Only campaign, in partnership with Sport Bay of Plenty and Sport Waikato, which promoted positive spectator behaviour, and the event’s first boomerang mug library, helping vastly reduce waste at the event. It all contributed to an amazing experience for those involved.

”Zespri is committed to supporting happy, healthy communities and to helping young people to get active, eat well and focused on their wellbeing,” Zespri head of global public affairs Michael Fox said.

“It was awesome to see so many young people enjoying the event, alongside their families, and having such a great time. We’re very proud to support an event like the Zespri AIMS Games, which gives back so much not only to the city that hosts it but more importantly the athletes who attend.”

Next year’s tournament will run from August 30 to September 5, with planning already under way.