NZ Open tournament chairman John Hart. But arguably his greatest sporting role has been securing the future of golf’s NZ Open, and positioning it in Queenstown. Hart visited the late Sir Michael Hill, whose new Arrowtown course The Hills had hosted the NZ Open, then lost the hosting rights. Meanwhile, by Hart’s estimate, NZ Golf was losing $500,000 to $800,000 a year running the NZ Open. ‘‘It doesn’t cover their costs by any means, but it’s something I think they appreciate.’’Hart says this year’s budget’s $8.5m, up from $1m for the first NZ PGA pro-am.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 27, 2026 15:27 UTC