Event Manager - Contract
Wellington | Flexible workload | City-shaping events
Wellington Community Revitalisation Society (WCRS) is a business-led organisation working to make Wellington the Hospitality and Events Capital of New Zealand again.
Our work is about more than running events. It’s about bringing the city back to life — increasing foot traffic, supporting hospitality and creative businesses, restoring confidence, and re-establishing Wellington as a place people want to visit, stay longer, and talk about.
We deliver high-impact, on-the-ground activations that turn streets into destinations. If you’re a high-energy, delivery-driven event professional who wants to see their work play out in real time, this role is for you.
This is a contract role, not a fixed-hours or fixed-term position. The workload rises and falls depending on the event calendar. Some periods are intense and hands-on, particularly around major events. Other periods are quieter and focused on planning, relationships and reporting.Flexibility and adaptability are essential.
The Event Manager is responsible for the end-to-end planning, delivery and reporting of WCRS’s public event programme. You will be the person who turns ideas into plans, plans into approvals, and approvals into packed streets.
You will work closely with the WCRS Board, providing regular updates and weekly reporting during active delivery periods. Strategic decisions sit with the Board. Your role is about delivery, coordination and execution — making things happen safely, smoothly and professionally.
The programme includes major city-shaping events such as Eat Street (monthly slip-lane closures), Winter Festival / Eat Drink Play, Live Music Month(s), WOW and Jazz Festival activations, film and creative activations, and the New Year’s Courtenay Carnival, along with other activations as opportunities arise.
On a practical level, you will lead event planning, budgets, timelines, site layouts and run-sheets. You will manage council approvals, traffic management and compliance. You will coordinate suppliers, production, artists and performers, and work closely with hospitality venues to secure participation and buy-in.You will also support sponsorship delivery, trust and grant funding applications, and complete post-event and funder reporting.
This role suits someone who thrives on pace, problem-solving and visibility. You’ll be comfortable juggling multiple stakeholders, working in public spaces, and staying calm when plans change. You don’t need hand-holding, but you do value governance and know when to escalate.
This role is not suited to someone looking for a predictable nine-to-five desk job, fixed weekly hours, or a purely administrative role removed from delivery.
The commercial structure reflects the flexible nature of the work. The indicative base is approximately $60,000 per annum, with the ability to scale up or down depending on monthly activations and delivery intensity.
This is a front-row role in shaping Wellington’s cultural life. The work is visible, demanding and genuinely rewarding. If you want to walk down a street you helped activate, hear the music you helped book, and know you played a part in bringing the city back to life, we’d love to hear from you.
For more about the platform that underpins much of this work, visit www.eatdrinkplay.nz
Please apply at wellingtonrevitalisation@gmail.com with you CV and a letter explaining why you embrace this position