| Winner | Tourism New Zealand |
| Marketing initiative | Pou-o-Kai: The Restaurant with the Most Stars |
| Marketing partners | Special, Special PR |
| Finalists | 2degrees, ANZ Bank New Zealand, DB Breweries, Kiwibank, Liquorland, NZ Olympic Committee, Powershop, Spark NZ, The PoolHouse, Toyota NZ, Woolworths NZ |
| Judges’ comments | “A beautiful aspirational presentation of NZ that really connected with the audience on an intellectual and emotional level. A fresh and innovative idea that was well executed, produced excellent results and was strongly grounded in Tourism NZ’s strategy and purpose. A really great campaign that will likely have a long shelf life. A fantastic job from the Tourism NZ team.” |
Stargrazing, served with a story
Tourism New Zealand invites global travellers to explore Aotearoa’s finest food and culture through rich content, smart PR and no paid media spend.
Amid growing competition and a shrinking media budget, Tourism New Zealand was losing its share of voice in inspiring global travellers to discover Aotearoa.
To win the affection of potential visitors, Tourism NZ combined the power of content with PR. It teamed up with Special PR to create memorable moments that captured hearts and sparked emotional engagement – all while maximising its limited budget.
With global food tourism spend topping $1 billion annually, 60% of travellers sharing food content online and the industry expected to grow 20% in the next five years, food was Tourism NZ’s ideal hook to spark ongoing conversation and global connection.
Meanwhile, the Michelin Guide has never made it to Aotearoa. So, instead of waiting for it to arrive, Tourism NZ set out to show that world-class cuisine is woven into the Kiwi identity – from premium exports like lamb and wine to local favourites like Pineapple Lumps and mince’n’cheese pies.
Who won, who they were up against and what the judges had to say.
We bring you all the details for every category in the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards 2025.
Story that travelled the world
Tourism NZ also partnered with leading local chef Ben Bayly to launch Pou-o-Kai: The Restaurant with the Most Stars – a pop-up restaurant in Castle Hill, Canterbury.
By crafting a live dining experience under the night sky and showcasing Aotearoa’s culinary traditions such as hāngī, Tourism NZ captured a story that travelled the world. Video content, editorial features, influencer storytelling and social amplification carried the message.
Through insight-driven content marketing, the campaign achieved 124% of target in equivalent advertising value through global PR, delivered 800 million impressions across priority traveller markets and generated more than 1.7 million social engagements.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 84, Sept-Nov 2025. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
Essential marketing intelligence. Don’t miss it.
