Town to host global tennis tour

Tennis New Zealand has described the Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre in Timaru as the best facility of its type nationally. PHOTO: COURIER FILES

Timaru will host the World Tennis Tour in February next year.

The event — one of the recipients of a grant from the Major Events Support Fund — will see up-and-coming professional players from around the world along with New Zealand’s best talent head to the city for a week of world-class tennis.

The event is expected to gain national and international exposure for Timaru, and attract visitors from around the wider region and further afield. Tennis New Zealand selected Timaru for this regional event, citing the Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre as the best facility of its type in the country.

Fourteen applicants were successful in securing grants in the highly-contested funding round.

Venture Timaru administers the fund for the Timaru District Council, and this year applications totalled $555,000 for the $245,000 available.

Chief executive Nigel Davenport said that for the first time since taking on the responsibility for the funding, the Venture Timaru board was forced to decline some applications.

"We have strict criteria for events to meet to gain approval for funding, with economic benefit to the region as one of the key factors.

"When we host events that are supported by our local community, but also draw visitors to the region, it has a major impact on our businesses and our economy. It’s a win-win for everyone."

The organisation also considered the impact on community wellbeing as part of its assessment matrix.

"We also look for events that recognise and support different groups within our community, such as the multicultural festival.

"Events bring a vibrancy to the district, which is something that everyone wants, and the lineup of successful applicants this year shows there will be some exciting events taking place over the next 12 months."

The successful applicants were: