Services › Other Services › Cost of the Royal Visit in 2018

Cost of the visit of Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to New Zealand in 2018

During the five-day visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to New Zealand in October/November 2018, they visited Wellington, Abel Tasman National Park, Auckland and Rotorua.

Their Royal Highnesses’ engagements raised the profile of New Zealand’s efforts in conservation, mental health advocacy, youth empowerment, and helped celebrate Māori and Pasifika communities. They spent time with a wide range of New Zealanders contributing in these areas, as well as meeting many members of the public during official events.

The visit included a Pasifika-themed reception hosted by the Prime Minister at Auckland War Memorial Museum. The event was designed to further connect Their Royal Highnesses with New Zealand youth from a range of communities.

Overall media coverage and social media commentary was overwhelmingly positive, both within New Zealand and internationally. More than 80 journalists from the United Kingdom, Australia and North America travelled to New Zealand to follow the visit. They reported alongside around 300 New Zealand journalists registered to cover the tour.

The visit was part of Their Royal Highnesses’ first significant international tour as a couple, which included visits to Australia, Fiji and Tonga.

The total cost of $1,007,729 was under the planned estimated expenditure of up-to $1,025,000.

The total cost of the visit is consistent with the cost of previous Royal visits, taking into account the duration and itinerary. In the usual manner, New Zealand coordinated with Australia to share external costs for Their Royal Highnesses’ travel to and from the United Kingdom.

A breakdown of costs incurred by the Department of Internal Affairs is detailed below:

Personnel	$391,941
International Travel	$136,165
Domestic Travel	$51,840
Accommodation, Meals and Other Travel Related Costs	$61,841
Vehicle Hire/Use	$96,438
Government Hospitality and Events*	$130,720
General Operating Costs	$89,677
2017/18 Costs**	$49,107
Total	$1,007,729

*Government Hospitality and Events includes costs relating to receptions at Government House and the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and support for other events held during the visit.

**These costs were incurred by the Department in the prior financial year, during preliminary planning for the visit.

Costs have been rounded and it is possible that some minor costs are yet to come in.