Roppongi Hills Arena

New Zealand Paradise Week 2007, the largest New Zealand promotional event yet to be staged in Japan, was predominantly funded by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage’s Cultural Diplomacy International Programme (CDIP). The festival was made up of three elements; the VIP Gala Dinner to launch New Zealand Paradise Week 2007 on 16 November, a two-day outdoor event at Roppongi Hills Arena over the weekend of 17-18 November, and a week of ancillary activities organized by NZ Inc agencies and businesses from 19-25 November.

The highlight of New Zealand Paradise Week 2007 was undoubtedly the two-day outdoor event held in the up-market area of Roppongi Hills Arena. The venue was transformed into a New Zealand themed environment with a forest, waterfall and suspension bridge via which visitors accessed the arena. Tourism Minister Damien O'Connor officially opened the weekend with New Zealand Ambassador to Japan Ian Kennedy, Japanese Ambassador to New Zealand Toshihiro Takahashi, and popular Japanese actor and singer Katsunori Takahashi. Takahashi’s appearance and talk show regarding his holidaying experiences to New Zealand insured good media coverage and an excellent turn out for the opening ceremony on Saturday morning. Throughout the weekend visitors were entertained by a line-up of cultural stage performances complemented by catwalk shows as they enjoyed New Zealand beef, lamb, cheese, honey, wine, beer and ice cream. The performers included Hayley Westenra, Strike, Hinewehi Mohi, Rangimarie, Rhombus, Nesian Mystik, Kat McDowell and Japan-based kapa haka Nga Hau E Wha.

The weekend broke Roppongi Hills Arena’s attendance record with 17,000 visitors, greatly exceeding expectations and the original target of 10,000 visitors. Attendance on Saturday alone exceeded 10,000 people setting a new record for numbers visiting the arena in one day. The response from the public was much more than many of the New Zealand companies had bargained for, such that food and beer ran out at various times. Nippon Beer reported to the New Zealand Embassy that "they had used up their entire stock of Tui and Montheiths beer for the whole of the Kanto region in just one weekend and had had to place a special order to get stock shipped up from the Kansai region to be able to stock the New Zealand Travel Café for the rest of Paradise Week."

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