Hope Powell was a professional football player for the English Lionesses and the first full time England Women’s team manager, looking after the team between 1998-2013. 

Hope experienced a range of New Zealand’s regions and activities including Māori cultural experiences in Northland such as visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and Tāne Mahuta. In Rotorua, Hope went mountain biking in Redwoods Forest and visited Waimangu Volcanic Valley before meeting with grassroots football club Lakes FC U15 Girls in Rotorua, giving the team access to a world class coaching session. 

While in Auckland, Hope conducted several interviews with UK media outlets where she spoke about her experience in New Zealand. This secured 150 pieces of coverage spanning global and national TV. 

“Tourism New Zealand is focussed on attracting high quality visitors who contribute to New Zealand’s society, culture, nature and economy.  Hopes’s visit and media activity provided us with opportunity to showcase Aotearoa New Zealand’s deep connection with people and place with a significant UK audience.” says Chief Executive René de Monchy.   

Over the 2022/2023 summer period, the United Kingdom was our third largest international visitor market, with holiday visitors spending an average of $6,900 per person.