IVL investments

This page outlines how IVL revenue is invested across tourism and conservation priorities, as well as providing detailed information about IVL revenue and expenditure.

Funding

Under s399A of the Immigration Act, IVL funding is set aside to fund or contribute to the funding of:

  • conservation
  • tourism infrastructure (including the costs of operating the infrastructure)
  • other tourism initiatives.

In practice, IVL funding is allocated to both new projects and to baselines for Tourism New Zealand and the Department of Conservation, and Ngā Haerenga the New Zealand Cycle Trail.

Tourism funding

From 2025/26 onwards, tourism receives an annual appropriation for both new investment and existing commitments:

  • $35 million each year for new tourism investment

In addition:

  • $24,000 (2025/26) and $13.9 million (2026/27 onwards) for Tourism New Zealand’s baseline funding
  • $8 million for Ngā Haerenga, New Zealand Cycle Trail
  • Around $4.2 million for administration costs, mainly bank charges associated with collecting the levy
  • Plus $8.4 million to meet pre-commitments (Budget 25 decision).

Conservation funding

From 2025/26 onwards, conservation receives an annual appropriation for both new investment and existing commitments:

  • $55 million each year for new conservation investment
  • Plus $32 million to meet pre-commitments (Budget 25 decision).

Additional revenue

Any IVL revenue collected above these allocations is used to help fund existing baseline activities for:

  • Tourism New Zealand
  • The Department of Conservation.

The share of funding provided to each agency will vary from year to year, depending on the total IVL revenue collected.

Recent IVL investments

As at 26 August 2026. This section will be updated as further investments are announced.

Project Description Total funding ($m) Category Delivery status
Tourism investments
International marketing in core markets An uplift in marketing activity in core markets (Australia, United States and China) focused on building consideration/preference of New Zealand as a holiday destination and converting this into arrivals in the near term. $4.0m Demand generation Active
Business Events Attraction Funding to Tourism New Zealand to support business events attraction in New Zealand. $1.0m Demand generation Active
Regional Tourism Boost – Round Three A contestable fund to support regions to attract more international visitors to travel, stay and dine in New Zealand from spring 2026 to early summer 2027. $5.0m Demand generation Active
Tourism AI Package – Enhancing TNZ’s AI travel Assistant  Funding to enhance Tourism New Zealand’s AI travel assistant with greater local content by ingesting content from Regional Tourism Organisations’ websites.  $0.2m  Technology and innovation  Active 
Tourism AI Package – AI enablement of TNZ’s Tourism Database  Funding to make the Tourism New Zealand database AI-ready by structuring operator information for AI readability, improving metadata quality, and upgrading the application programming interface (API) so AI systems and major travel platforms can easily access and use the information.  $0.6m  Technology and innovation  Active 
New public toilets in Queenstown  The Queenstown District Council have proposed the installation of new public toilets across the region.  $1.3m  Visitor infrastructure  Active 
Tekapo toilet block and Mackenzie toilets conversion  Funding to replace Tekapo’s main toilet block and implement a user-pays system. Further funding to convert toilet other toilet blocks in the Mackenzie region to user pays.  $2.5m  Visitor infrastructure  Active 
Conservation investments
Wilding conifer control programme Removing wilding conifers from iconic places so visitors can experience natural landscapes and ecosystems. $10.0m Landscape scale pest plant management Active
Wasp Wipeout programme Support the programme delivered by volunteers to remove wasps and enhance visitor experiences at high use visitor sites such as Great Walks and Te Araroa Trail. $0.4m Landscape scale threat management Active
Beech mast predator control response Landscape-scale predator control (for possums, rats and stoats) at popular visitor sites in 26/27 to address significant beech mast event in 2026 that urgently threatens significant conservation gains made over many years, and the survival of native species. Sites: Kahurangi National Park, Arthurs Pass National Park, Maruia Forest on the West Coast, the Arawhata Valley on the West Coast, the Landsborough Valley on the West Coast, Mount Aspiring National Park, and Fiordland National Park. $14.1m Landscape scale threat management Active
Predator Free Auckland Enabling our largest city to be a place where our native species and communities can thrive. $2.0m Landscape scale threat management Active
Raukūmara Pae Maunga restoration Continuation of the Raukūmara Pae Maunga restoration project, focused on pest and ungulate management and ecosystem improvement. $2.0m Landscape scale threat management Active
Tarawera Trail Upgrades to 22km of Tarawera Trail track and terminus campground at Tapahoro to develop iwi-led experiences based on the cultural heritage of the whenua. $1.0m Improvements to visitor network Active
Mountain to Sea Cycle Trail Construction of Te Ara Mangawhero and Te Hangaruru sections of Mountain to Sea Cycle Trail. $8.0m Improvements to visitor network Active
Te Araroa Trail Trust Longwoods Forest Boardwalk and Whangaehu swing bridge and preconstruction planning to build Queenstown to Glenorchy. $0.5m Improvements to visitor network Active

Previous IVL investments

The IVL has funded a range of tourism and conservation investments since 1 July 2019.

Select a year below to view the full list of projects, funding levels, and focus areas agreed by Ministers for that year.

IVL revenue – actual and forecast

IVL revenue is reported twice a year (at the end of June and December).

Annual IVL revenue by financial year from its introduction in 2019

Financial year / month Annual IVL revenue
($ thousands)
2019/20 $57,163
2020/21 $2,692
2021/22 $3,314
2022/23 $44,871
2023/24 $62,509
2024/25 $145,976
2025/26 $190,161

Monthly revenue data from July 2025

Month IVL revenue
($ thousands)
July 2025 $11,281
August 2025 $11,978
September 2025 $14,973
October 2025 $18,517
November 2025 $21,965
December 2025 $23,739
January 2026 $21,795
February 2026 $18,293
March 2026 $15,256
April 2026 $11,257
May 2026 $10,229
June 2026 $10,879
Total IVL revenue YTD $190,161

IVL revenue forecast 2026/27 to 2029/30

Financial year IVL revenue forecast
($ thousands)
Forecast for 2026/27 $229,000
Forecast for 2027/28 $236,000
Forecast for 2028/29 $243,000
Forecast for 2029/30 $250,000
Note: The revenue forecast from 2027/28 reflects a long-term annual growth rate of 3 per cent per year.

Estimated IVL revenue and expenditure: 2019/20 to 2028/29

As at 1 July 2025:

Estimated IVL revenue and expenditure: 2019/20 to 2028/29 [XLSX, 16 KB]

This spreadsheet will be updated as part of the 2025/26 IVL annual performance reporting process due to be completed by the end of the 2026 calendar year.

Annual reports

For a record of current and past IVL annual performance reports, please see our annual performance reports page.

IVL annual performance reports