The New Zealand leg of the Sevens World Series is moving from Wellington to Hamilton next year.

It had been held in the capital for the past 18 years but poor crowd numbers had contributed to the event posting it's second financial loss when the 2017 edition was held at Westpac Stadium in January.

Hamilton's hosting of the event was announced at FMG Stadium Waikato on Monday morning.

Wellington mayor Justin Lester looked for positives in losing the event, saying it was an opportunity to refresh the city's events calendar.

"The Sevens has been a big part of recent Wellington history, but it was time for the event to move on. The feedback we'd been getting from the public was that the event in Wellington seemed to have lost its allure," Lester said. "Wellingtonians have been voting with their feet in the last few years and we've seen the result in dwindling crowd numbers and lower ticket sales. It might be that the best thing is for the event to get a fresh start somewhere else and re-invent itself."For us, Wellington's events calendar needs to be constantly evolving to keep people's interest and this decision gives us an opportunity to refresh our events and look at new opportunities."We'll now be focused on developing new events that highlight the things we most love about our city - from our growing tech sector, our sports, our strong arts and culture scene and our world class food and drink offerings."

NZ RUGBY: HAMILTON FIT FOR SEVENS

New Zealand Rugby's chief strategy and operations officer Nigel Cass said the city offered a world class stadium and central location for fans coming from other areas.

"Hamilton and the Waikato region are rugby mad and we're looking forward to introducing international sevens to the local community and for visiting fans from around New Zealand to experience the heart of rugby in New Zealand.

"We are confident our partners in Hamilton will deliver an exceptional tournament that fans will love on the weekend of 3 and 4 February."

New Zealand Rugby has two years left on a three-year licence with World Rugby to host a leg of the series and had partnered with Hamilton based events company 37 South, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton City Council and the Chiefs to host the tournament.

37 South managing director Dallas Fisher said he was delighted to be part of the event.

"The planning starts now and we have some big ideas to ensure sevens becomes the hottest ticket in town. At FMG Stadium Waikato we can segment audiences so party goers, families and rugby fans can all enjoy the event and entertainment in their own space.

"We will take all the best aspects of the two-day event and add our own special flavour of entertainment and experiences.

"We are asking fans for their input via the NZ Sevens Facebook page where they are welcome to share their ideas and wishlists."  

Cass said moving the international tournament from Wellington was not a decision made lightly, but the tournament needed a fresh start in New Zealand. 

"We delivered 18 years of good times and great tournaments in the capital, thanks to the exceptional teams we worked with at Wellington City Council, WREDA, Westpac Stadium, police, hospitality industry and our fantastic volunteers. I have nothing but praise for all those who contributed to the Wellington Sevens for almost two decades.

Hamilton mayor Andrew King said the city had a proven track record in major stadia-based events.

"Over the last few years we've delivered successful matches in three World Cups across three sports, All Blacks tests, Super Rugby semis and finals, as well as international cricket," he said.

 - Stuff