2015 REPORT beautiful weather, a large crowd attended the have been fortunate that Sport NZ has funded Opening on Coronet Peak to watch the Dual a study by Ernst & Young (EY) to investigate the Slalom and the fireworks display afterwards. viability of the Games going annual. The Winter That we were able to attract alpine mega-stars, Games NZ and Snow Sports NZ Boards will such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Ted Ligety, capped receive the EY Report before the end of 2015 this off. Similarly, the Closing at Cardrona Alpine and any decision will be shared with our partners Resort attracted a large crowd for the Big Air before an announcement in the new year. Our assessment is that the 2015 Audi quattro competition and associated closing activities. Winter Games NZ was the best yet because, as We must gratefully acknowledge the significant an organisation, we stepped up another gear in Our considerable thanks go to NZSki and contributions of New Zealand Major Events, Audi CHAIRMAN’S REPORT the delivery of this major event. The athletes are Cardrona Alpine Resort for their hosting of the Quattro, Queenstown Lakes District Council what make the Winter Games NZ happen, so it alpine skiing, snowboarding and freestyle skiing. and all our other Sponsors, Partners, Trusts and is critical that we keep improving the quality of Patrons, whose names are at the rear of this how we deliver each of the events in the sports We were honored to host Sarah Lewis, FIS Report. Without their financial support it would programme. The FIS recognized this by stating Secretary General. It is a mark of the respect not be possible to host the Winter Games NZ. that the Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle was and level of esteem that the Games are held COMPETITORS & TEAM MANAGEMENT & COMPETITORS the equal of the Winter Olympics event in Sochi. in internationally that Sarah took time out of Finally the Board’s thanks go to Chief Executive, This is a wonderful endorsement of the Games. her very busy schedule to attend for the final Arthur Klap, and his terrific team for their passion, Further, videos of both the Freestyle Ski and the weekend of the Games. planning and event delivery of this year’s Games Snowboard Slopestyle finals have been taken and my personal thanks go to Board members away by the FIS to be used as a training aid The management team has now organised Rick Pettit, Paul Allison, Peter Wardell, Hetty Van internationally. 14 FIS World Cups, 2 FIS Junior World Hale, John Knowles and Sam Hazledine. They all Championships, 30 FIS Continental Cups, 4 give their time, energy and expertise voluntarily As it was a non-Olympic qualifying year, IPC World Cups and 8 IPC Continental Cups. and that is truly appreciated. numbers were lower than 2013 but we continued This is a significant bank of experience that few to attract the very best in the sport. We can organisations can match in the snow sports expect numbers to rise again in pre-Olympic world. year, 2017 when the Games will be just six months before the Winter Olympics in Korea. This level of success has lead to several of our One of the changes, after 2013, was to move partners, the international sports bodies and the SIR EION EDGAR the Opening and Closing Ceremonies on to the athletes asking if the Games should go annual. Chairman Winter Games ski fields. This was a major success. Helped by It is a decision that we cannot make alone so we New Zealand Trust “On the docket this past week was a big one, the first Platinum-level event of this year’s World Tour, the Audi quattro Winter Games NZ at Cardrona Alpine Resort, New Zealand, who were more than deserving of their newfound Platinum status, thanks to jaw- COMPETITORS & TEAM MANAGEMENT & COMPETITORS dropping Slopestyle, Halfpipe and Big Air venues, alongside their impeccable organization of the events. As a result, the AFP would like to offer a big time tip of the hat to the Winter Games NZ event organizers.” - AFP WEBSITE These were the fourth biennial Winter Games NZ, 2017 we should extend this to include all the ANC Media and Marketing Winter Games NZ Investment in to the Sports Snowboard Winter Games NZ total investment in to snow held from 21 to 30 August 2015, in Queenstown, races in New Zealand, ideally with the addition of We are delighted that national awareness of the Largely unnoticed is the investment the Games Event expenses for venue charges, FIS officials, sports is $2,731,337 exclusive of GST. Wanaka and Naseby. The events included 4x a Super G. Games increased from 14% to 25%. with 27% of has made and continues to make in to each of volunteer food etc: FIS World Cups, 2x IPC Continental Cups, 3x respondents able, unprompted, to mention Audi the snow sports disciplines. Figures below do • 2009 - $210,604 The Audi quattro Winter Games NZ has already FIS Continental Cups, 1x AFP Platinum Free The fields in the adaptive alpine skiing were as a sponsor. Our television advertising through not include staff, marketing, media, television • 2011 - $219,048 made a considerable impact locally, nationally Ski Big Air, 1x World Snowboard Tour National less than if we held World Cups but positive the Audi quattro and our Games advertisements coverage etc. • 2013 - $233,764 and internationally and is now poised to build on Level Big Air and an International Mixed Doubles discussions are underway with the International is likely to have contributed towards this level • 2015 - $319,397 the strong base established. Financially we are Curling Tournament. A level of competition never Paralympic Committee (IPC) to host World Cups of awareness. The high profile national radio Alpine Ski Racing (Able bodied and Adaptive) Total investment in to Snowboarding of still vulnerable and the emphasis over the next envisaged when the first Games were held again, not just in alpine, but also in Nordic skiing, promotions by the Mediaworks radio stations Infrastructure investment: Safety nets, safety $982,813 two years needs to be on securing longer-term in 2009. Feedback from international sports biathlon and snowboarding. There are some big were also very important. pads and timing cable $140,500 financial support so that event delivery becomes EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE federations such as the FIS, IPC, WCF, AFP and hurdles to overcome but with the support of the Grant to the ANC for races outside of the Winter Note: In 2015 the Games contributed $15,000 where our energy is placed. Snowboard World Tour confirms that the Games IPC it is achievable. Internationally, downloads of images taken by Games NZ $30,000 towards the laying of a fibre optic cable on is not only firmly established on the world stage Getty Images increased from 4,284 in 2013 to Cardrona Alpine Resort. Now is the time for bold, brave decisions. but that we are also a leader in the international The curling competition was the first Mixed 9,813. Infront distributed the full coverage of Race expenses for venue charges, FIS officials, winter sports industry. But this is not a time to Doubles tournament held after the IOC decision each of the four World Cups as well as the Audi volunteer food etc: Cross Country Skiing Arthur Klap stand still. The opportunities are considerable to include the discipline in the Winter Olympic quattro Winter Games NZ highlights programme. • 2009 - $144,500 (includes Super G on CP) Race expenses for venue charges, FIS officials, Chief Executive and in the next six months several major Games in 2018. Significantly, the World Curling • 2011 - $129,549 volunteer food etc: decisions need to be made on the future shape Federation (WCF) has now officially approved Perhaps the most encouraging statistic was the • 2013 - $114,732 • 2009 - $37,478 and direction of the Games, including whether the curling rule changes that were trialed at the growth in social media visibility. Considerable • 2015 - $107,048 (doesn’t include Dual • 2011 - $23,630 the Games should be annual. Games as the rules for the game. The objective effort was made to produce video clips, with Slalom costs) • 2013 - $24,502 now should be to become a qualifying event for the support of GoPro and Tourism NZ, and Total investment in to alpine ski racing of • 2015 - $24,200 Games Highlights and Learnings the Winter Olympics. this resulted in more than 1 million video views. $606,200 Total investment in to Cross Country Skiing of Importantly, the videos were viewed in countries $109,810 The Sports The Festival targeted by Tourism NZ such as the 442,300 Freestyle Ski The hosting, again, of 4 Snowboard and Holding the Opening and Closing Ceremonies people that viewed two video clips of Yuki Kadono Event expenses for venue charges, FIS officials, Curling Freestyle Ski World Cups places the Games in a on Coronet Peak and Cardrona Alpine Resort from Japan. volunteer food etc: Competition expenses for venue charges, FIS strong position to be one of the FIS mega events respectively, was very successful and an • 2009 - $171,500 officials, volunteer food etc: in those disciplines. The hosting of freestyle ski indication that we should focus our festival The growth in social media and the international • 2011 - $174,805 • 2009 - $47,479 and snowboard Big Airs also puts us in a good programme on snow. Considerable effort has television audience needs to be continued while, • 2013 - $252,171 • 2011 - $58,700 position to lift them up to World Cups in 2017. gone in to the Games Villages over the last two on a domestic front, a special effort needs to be • 2015 - $107,048 • 2013 - $48,311 In alpine skiing the dual slalom helped attract the Games and they haven’t worked to the extent we made to increase the print media coverage in the Total investment in to Freestyle skiing of • 2015 - $82,500 best in the sport and the opportunity is there to had hoped.