Kiwi Sports Stars to Benefit from Major Funding Announcement

Some of New Zealand's most loved sports teams and athletic stars will benefit from a lucrative sponsorship deal with the country's largest locally owned travel agency.

House of Travel has confirmed marketing partnerships with the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC), the Silver Ferns and The Blues Auckland rugby team, and aims to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for the organisations.

The joint venture between the NZOC and House of Travel will see the formation of a new company which will be the exclusive outlet for New Zealanders to purchase tickets and packages to the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, both in 2014.

NZOC Secretary General Kereyn Smith says the ability to monetise and leverage the brand in this way will have significant benefits for its team members for 2014, 2016 and beyond.

"Funding is critical in enabling our New Zealand's high performance athletes to focus on achieving their targets in their chosen sport," she says.

"That's why business models like this provide the NZOC and our athletes with more certainty around the longevity of their partnerships rather than having to look for new sponsors on a regular basis," says Smith.

House of Travel chief executive officer, Mark O'Donnell, says the initiative will allow the travel company to add significant value beyond a traditional sponsorship model.

"The new business deal means we can give more back to NZ athletes than would have otherwise been possible," he says.

"We are thrilled to have secured this partnership with NZOC, which helps us deliver on our commitment to help Kiwis see the world."

As a NZ owned company, working with these iconic local sports brands is immensely rewarding for us, O'Donnell says.

Two-time Commonwealth Games winners Silver Ferns will also receive sponsorship with Netball New Zealand Chief Executive, Raelene Castle, who says she is excited to have secured support for the team this early into their games lead-up.

"Being sponsored by a locally owned company gives us confidence that our needs are understood," she says. "We are thrilled to partner with the NZOC, the Blues and House of Travel in this exciting new initiative."

The Blues Chief Executive Officer, Andy Dalton, has welcomed the sponsorship in the knowledge that it will also help our Kiwi sportspeople to perform well on a regional level.

"Securing financial security is crucial to the success of The Blues, as it gives us the ability to invest in resources for us to best train our team, ensuring our top performances."