The New Zealand Open is staying at Millbrook. The Court of Appeal has dismissed X-Ray Trust’s challenge to the resort’s consent to host the tournament, which means the event can run at Millbrook through 2031 without a legal cloud over it.
That matters well beyond the fairways. Sponsors, broadcasters, accommodation providers and hospitality operators all plan years ahead. They cannot do that if a recurring event’s consent might be quashed at any point. The ruling removes that risk, and legal certainty of this kind works as infrastructure for the events sector.
A neighbour dispute that ran for a decade
The fight did not start with golf tournaments. Back in 2014, Millbrook bought the neighbouring Dalgleish Farm and sought to rezone it from Rural General to Millbrook Resort Zone for a new course and housing. X-Ray Trust opposed it on rural character and privacy grounds. In 2021 the Trust also failed to get an interim injunction against a Millbrook ‘halfway house’ about 100 metres from its land, with the High Court finding the balance of convenience favoured the resort.
The Trust’s directors, Brian Cartmell and Nathan Branch, own two Speargrass Flat Rd properties that share a 194 metre boundary with Millbrook’s Coronet course. Queenstown Lakes District Council granted the Open consent in 2021 on a non-notified basis for 10 years, and that decision became the target.
The complaints were real, and they still lost
The neighbours’ grievances were not imaginary. In 2025, the Otago Daily Times reported their claims that during the 2023 and 2024 tournaments camera towers invaded their privacy, spectators could see into their home, and crowd noise and lighting disturbed them. Television footage and social media images clearly showed their property.
But in January 2025 Justice Rob Osborne rejected all four grounds of their High Court judicial review, covering reliance on a setback agreement, evidence on privacy effects, the lawfulness of conditions and the rationality of the decision. He found the council commissioner followed the correct process and that the Trust’s expectations about the level of assessment required were disproportionate. The Court of Appeal has now confirmed that outcome.
That is the sensible result. Councils have to be able to make proportionate decisions on recurring events without every affected neighbour being able to demand an exhaustive assessment. Twice tested on the merits, the consent held.
Millbrook bet on the ruling before it arrived
Millbrook did not wait for the judges. In July this year it committed to host at least the next seven editions, through 2032, even though it was then contractually guaranteed only two. Millbrook operations director Brian Howie said at the time: “We’d been talking about just giving a bit of certainty.” Sir Bob Charles, who designed Millbrook’s original course, likened the arrangement to the Masters’ permanent home at Augusta National.
The court has now validated that bet. Millbrook has solely hosted three Opens after co-hosting seven with The Hills, and is planning a third course. That kind of capital commitment only makes sense with a long runway.
What a week of golf is worth
The numbers explain why the certainty matters. The 2026 tournament generated $33.9 million in total economic impact, including $12.1 million from international visitors. More than 32,000 fans attended and the region logged more than 40,000 bed nights, independently measured by YouGov.
The previous year was similarly strong. In 2025 organisers reported a global television audience of at least 7.4 million across more than 90 countries, 34,199 fans, and over 45,000 bed nights. For a destination that sells itself to the world, that broadcast reach is marketing money Queenstown does not have to spend.
The event’s commercial model has also been growing. In 2024, tournament chair John Hart said commercial revenue was up roughly 15% despite tough conditions, with eight new partners signed.
The lesson for councils and event owners
The ruling is a useful marker for anyone running or consenting long-life recurring events. A 10-year, non-notified consent survived a sustained challenge from directly affected landowners, and it survived because the council followed a proportionate process. Event promoters elsewhere should note the flip side too. Long consents granted without notification will be litigated, so the paperwork needs to be robust from day one.
Next up is growth. Discussions continue about returning to a multi-course format, with Millbrook staying as the final-round venue. With the legal risk cleared away, sponsors and Queenstown operators can now plan around the Open as a fixture rather than a gamble. That is exactly what an events economy needs.
Sources
- Stuff: Landowner loses Court of Appeal fight over NZ Open golf tournament consent (2026-11-05)
- ODT: Millbrook wins final round in Open dispute (2026-11-05)
- ODT: NZ golf open ‘invaded privacy’, neighbours claimed (2025-04-16)
- newxc: NZ Open to stay at Millbrook after neighbour loses court challenge (2026-11-03)
- ODT: Open home pencilled in till 2032 (2026-07-16)
- NZ Open: New Zealand Open 2026 Delivers Record Crowds, Global Reach and Major Regional Impact (2026-08-13)
- NZ Open: New Zealand Open Delivers Major Economic Impact and Record Global Reach (2025-08-06)
- ODT: Open seems destined for return to multi-course format (2024-03-03)
- khanlist: NZ Open to stay at Millbrook after neighbour loses court challenge (2026-11-03)
Join the discussion
Add useful context, ask a good question, or challenge an idea — keep it specific and respectful.