The New Zealand round of the World Rugby Sevens Series is to remain in Wellington, despite failing to sell out in recent years.
Some of the crowd at the Sevens spell it out Photo: Photosport
This summer's event has come forward to the end of January and will now be played on a Saturday and Sunday, instead of the traditional Friday and Saturday.
It is also being promoted as a part of a package that also includes the Wellington Cup horse race meeting.
Organisers will also cut the cost of tickets and offer more packages when they go on sale later this month.
It had been suggested that the event should be shifted away from Wellington.
New Zealand Rugby head Steve Tew said, "The criteria from World Rugby is that the tournament must be held in an iconic city, and because of accommodation and international travel requirements, it could only be hosted by Wellington or Auckland."
Mr Tew added, "It was unlikely that they or the National Rugby League would want to go head-to-head with the Sevens and Nines, and so that would rule Auckland out."
He said, "Their organisers have done a really good job of trying to re-package the tournament and get a broader appeal for families and kids."
"The new World Series is getting a lot of momentum around the world and they cannot afford to have a tournament that is not successful," he said.
The World Sevens Series starts in Dubai in early December with the Wellington round on 30 and 31 January.