2. Question No. 2—Sports and RecreationHELEN WHITE (Labour) to the Minister for Sport and RecreationQuestion No. 2—Sports and Recreation2. HELEN WHITE (Labour) to the Minister for Sport and Recreation: What has been the impact on New Zealand of co-hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister for Sport and Recreation): The tournament has been an extraordinary showcase for New Zealand. We've had more than 700000 people attend the FIFA Women's World Cup in the 29 games held in New Zealand and watched the exceptional athletes and wonderful football that has been on offer. We've seen record crowds for a football match in New Zealand at 43217; the biggest stadium crowd for a sporting event in New Zealand so far this year; the biggest TV audience for a football match shown in New Zealand in 20 years; nearly 165000 people have attended FIFA fan festivals; and more than 20000 international visitors have come to watch games here in New Zealand providing a boost to the tourism and hospitality industries during what is traditionally a quieter period of time. I'd like to thank New Zealanders for getting out to support this event as well as those involved in the organisation and in particular the 5000 volunteers who have put their time into making this tournament a success.Helen White: What other impact has the tournament had on New Zealand?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The tournament has caught the attention of football fans around the world. FIFA has reported that the group stages alone saw records broken for ticket sales broadcast figures and digital media. The tournament is set to exceed the 1.1 billion people who tuned into the last world cup in 2019 and in doing so highlights New Zealand's unique value and raises the country's international profile. The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment will carry out a post-event analysis to determine the economic impact of the tournament. However a report for the Hotel Council Aotearoa found that hotel room occupancy rates were 7 percent above the equivalent month before the pandemic and represented the highest increase in occupancy rates since the pandemic. As one tourism operator was reported as saying they've experienced three weeks of mid-summer levels of business almost exclusively because of this tournament".Helen White: What legacy has been created by co-hosting the tournament?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Well the event has provided us with an opportunity to create significant social benefits for our country. Communities across New Zealand will benefit from newly upgraded sporting facilities as a result of $25 million that the Government has invested across 30 sporting facilities including pitch lighting and facility enhancements unisex changing spaces and event infrastructure. Funding has also been set aside to support a leverage and legacy programme which includes 50 projects around the country including several projects that are being delivered by mana whenua groups. This aligns with the Government's strategy for women and girls in sport and active recreation: to grow visibility participation and new female leaders in sport.Helen White: How does the FIFA world cup align with the Government's women and girls in sport strategy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: In 2018 the Government launched New Zealand's first ever women and girls in sport strategy with three themes: participation leadership and valuing visibility. I am proud of the strides that we have made in promoting women's sport across New Zealand and across the world. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 is the culmination of New Zealand's hosting of three major international women's sporting events: the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup the Rugby World Cup and the International Working Group Conference on Women and Sport. By creating a platform through which to encourage and inspire women and girls to be involved in sport these events play a key role in further advancing each of the strategy outcomes in Aotearoa New Zealand. I'm immensely proud of New Zealanders' hosting of this event."