Announcing the funding yesterday during an opening ceremony for a tunnel on the separately funded Shotover Gorge Trail near Queenstown, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said some of the Great Rides "need some work".
"So the first priority will be addressing issues such as improving design and resilience, making them better able to cope with rider numbers and extreme weather.
The 23 Great Rides, of which six are in Otago and Southland, received about a million visitors a year, of whom about 20% were international visitors, Ms Upston said.
"With those numbers expected to continue growing, maintaining and improving these trails is a must.
"For some, where they’re currently on roads, we want to get them off-road."
The trails also needed to be able to cope with their challenging environment, significant weather events in recent years having had a "big impact" on some.
Ms Upston said tourism was a crucial part of the government’s focus on economic growth, and the funding came on top of other recent announcements, such as $500,000 for marketing to "get more Aussies across the Ditch".
Queenstown was a particular "hot spot" for Australian visitors, she said.
"Some of you might have mixed feelings about that, but at the end of the day they’re our closest neighbour, and we know that 4million Australians are considering a trip to New Zealand.
"We just want to create a sense of urgency and get them to jump on over."
The $9m contestable funding, which is over two years, requires applicants to fund at least 25% of their projects from other sources.
The Shotover Gorge Trail, which will link Arthurs Point to Frankton, is expected to open late next month.
As well as the 108m-long Hugo Tunnel, it features the 90m Kimi-ākau suspension bridge, which crosses the Shotover River at Tucker Beach.
