Let’s talk about something we all think about but rarely say out loud: New Zealand’s entertainment options could use a serious glow-up. We love a good walk in the bush, a weekend in Queenstown, and endless reruns of Shortland Street, but beyond the classics, it can sometimes feel like we’re all stuck choosing between Netflix or watching paint dry. So, what can we do to spice things up and bring some buzz back to our free time? Let’s take a look!
More Events
New Zealanders love rugby. In fact, we really love it. But even the most loyal All Blacks fans need something different every now and then. New Zealand could benefit from a broader range of events — think outdoor movie nights, food truck festivals, indie music gigs, and night markets that go beyond Auckland and Wellington. Let’s give local artists and performers a chance to shine and give ourselves something fun to look forward to that doesn’t involve driving for five hours or booking a flight.
It would also be nice to normalize small-town events; not everything has to happen in big cities. It would be amazing to see more community festivals popping up in places like Taupō or Timaru.
Later Opening Hours
The saying “Early to bed, early to rise” is very on-brand for the Kiwi lifestyle, but sometimes you just want to grab a drink or dessert past 10 PM without being forced into the one lone McDonald’s still open. If bars, cafes, and even bookshops or arcade-style venues extended their hours, it would open up a whole new vibe for late-night adventurers (or just insomniacs who want waffles at midnight).
We’re not asking for 24/7 chaos like New York, but a bit more flexibility would be nice, especially for night owls, shift workers, and bored students.
Increased Online Options
Online entertainment is flourishing in New Zealand thanks to widespread internet access, a tech-savvy population, and the convenience of digital platforms. Streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ offer diverse content tailored to local and global tastes, while gaming and social media engage users across age groups. The number of people playing video games is on the rise across the country, while online casino in New Zealand are noting rises in older players. Mobile devices and affordable data plans also enhance accessibility, allowing people to enjoy entertainment anywhere. As technology evolves, online entertainment continues to grow as a dominant form of leisure.
New Zealand’s online entertainment could be improved by increasing local content production, enhancing streaming platform availability, and reducing subscription costs. Expanding high-speed internet access in rural areas and encouraging collaboration with global content creators would also broaden choices and improve the overall digital experience for users across the country.
Level Up the Live Music and Club Scene
Our live music scene has some amazing talent, but the infrastructure doesn’t always support it. We need more venues that are easy to book, affordable for indie artists, and have decent acoustics (and not just dingy basements with questionable toilets). If more councils supported pop-up stages, community gigs, and music initiatives, it would be a game-changer for the creative scene.
Entertainment Subscriptions Made Local
We’re all paying for the same streaming services: Netflix, Disney+, and maybe Neon if you’re feeling fancy. But where’s the Kiwi version of that? There is currently no platform showcasing local films, web series, indie creators, and cultural content that actually represents New Zealand’s diverse communities. If the government or a startup could pull this off — a kind of “KiwiFlix” — it would be a powerful way to support the entertainment industry and offer something fresh.
Even a subscription that bundles experiences like discounted event tickets, live comedy, museum passes, or digital content would be a great way to make local entertainment more affordable and accessible.
Tap Into Tech: AR and VR
Let’s get future-focused. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) aren’t just for nerds anymore. What if Te Papa launched a VR Māori mythology experience? Or if there were AR walking tours in Dunedin that made historical buildings come alive with your phone? There’s so much untapped potential to use tech for educational and fun experiences that blend culture, storytelling, and entertainment.
More VR arcades or gaming cafes in general would also be nice. Sometimes you just want to sword fight in space with your mates without leaving the suburbs.
Overall, New Zealand has so much potential to improve its entertainment scene, but we’re not using it to its full advantage. With more variety, later hours, better support for local creatives, smarter tech, and a bit of open-mindedness about online gaming, things could get a whole lot more interesting.
Nature’s great, but sometimes you just want to dance, stay up late, and do something different.