News

Wellington’s 2025-26 cruise season has drawn to a close, with the final cruise ship call departing on Saturday evening and marking a solid contribution to the summer performance of the capital’s tourism, hospitality and retail sectors.

Through the season, Wellington welcomed around 108,000 cruise passengers, with an estimated additional 30% of visiting crew on top, bringing tens of thousands more people ashore to explore the capital. The 50-strong group of volunteer Wellington City Ambassadors provided tourism guidance and advice to many.

The steady stream of cruise visitors delivered a welcome boost to the city’s economy, supporting local cafes, restaurants, retailers, attractions and tourism operators throughout the summer months.

From the waterfront and Lambton Quay to Cuba Street and surrounding suburbs, cruise visitors helped keep Wellington buzzing, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a vibrant, accessible and welcoming port of call.

“Cruise passengers and crew are engaged visitors who are keen to explore the city and region, spend locally and experience what makes Wellington and the surrounds unique,” says Mark Oldershaw, CE at WellingtonNZ.

“Their presence delivers real economic benefit across retail, hospitality and tourism, from right in the city, to Kapiti and Wairarapa. This helps sustain momentum for businesses during the peak visitor season.”

Crew visits continue to play an important role, with those spending time ashore supporting a wide range of businesses including supermarkets, eateries, pharmacies and retail stores, extending the economic benefits of each ship call.

CentrePort Wellington Chief Executive Anthony Delaney echoed the same sentiments.

“As a port, we’re working hard with WellingtonNZ and the cruise industry in New Zealand to position Wellington favourably as a key destination for cruise itineraries. We want to ensure we provide a great experience on all fronts (from arrival to departure) so we maintain the economic benefits that are realized from cruise passengers stepping ashore to explore the region.”

Mr Delaney said Wellington’s flexibility meant the last cruise ship for the season stayed overnight, bringing bonus extra spend into the city with crew and passengers heading ashore to experience Wellington at night.

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne Chief Executive, Dr Danielle Shanahan, said cruise visitors had the ability to amplify the work they were doing as well as providing revenue through entry fees.

“Wellingtonians are doing ground-breaking work that is helping reverse the loss of birdlife from our skies. Every visitor to the region - and to Zealandia itself - provides us with an opportunity to share our story directly with a global audience, while creating a meaningful and memorable experience of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. It is through these visitors that we can inspire change and show that large-scale ecological restoration in an urban environment is not just an aspiration, but a living, thriving reality.”

Looking ahead, Wellington’s next cruise season will begin over Labour Weekend on 25 October 2026, setting the stage for another important period for the city.

To help futureproof Wellington’s cruise tourism industry, WellingtonNZ and CentrePort are currently collaborating to deliver the new Wellington cruise strategy. The strategy was developed specifically for the city’s cruise sector, while aligning with the New Zealand Cruise Association’s national cruise strategy and the Government’s future direction for the industry.

Its core objectives include unified local partnership, enhanced economic value, reaching premier destination status and strong community support. One of the first scheduled industry activities is a product development workshop in the middle of the year, to expand Wellington’s cruise product offering for future seasons.

The 2026-27 cruise schedule will be available on www.centreport.co.nz closer to the new season launch. To find out more about what to see and do in Wellington, visit www.wellingtonnz.com

ENDS

For more information, contact: 

Charlotte Wilson 

WellingtonNZ Communications and Media Manager

charlotte.wilson@wellingtonnz.com +642904559867 

Andree Kai Fong

CentrePort Communications and Engagement Manager

andree.kaifong@centreport.co.nz +6421824579