Waikato theatre is ready for take-off
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement last week of Government support for the Waikato Regional Theatre is ‘the moment of takeoff’ for the project.
The Provincial Growth Fund has granted $12 million towards the $74 million riverside performing arts centre, taking the total raised to $69 million.
“Our vision is for every kid in the Waikato to have the opportunity to share the stage with the world’s best performers,” says Momentum Waikato Chair Leonard Gardner. “The Waikato Regional Theatre will be an impressive state-of-theart, world-class performance venue, the pride of Hamilton and the Waikato.
“The remarkable flexibility of its stage configurations, the crystal-clear acoustics and upclose sightlines of its auditorium will, however, just be the means to an end.
“We will all be able to see fantastic international entertainment here on our doorstep, and our best performers will have the springboard they need to launch themselves out into the world.
“This key contribution is the green light for preparations for the construction of the Waikato Regional Theatre to begin.
Work on the site behind the former Hamilton Hotel on Victoria Street is expected to begin in the New Year with a blessing and turning of the first sod.
That will also mark the launch of Share the Stage, a community fundraising campaign to raise the balance of the project budget, which will give individuals, families and businesses an opportunity to claim their own stake.
The Theatre has already received funding from Hamilton City Council, Waikato Regional Council, Trust Waikato, Lottery Grants Board and numerous individuals, families, trusts and businesses. It is expected to open in April 2022.
“Together, we are realising Momentum‘s goal of creating ‘A Better Waikato for everyone, forever’.” Momentum Waikato Chief Executive Kelvyn Eglinton says the Government’s contribution recognises the wide range of benefits and opportunities the Theatre will create — artistic, cultural, social, tourist, educational and commercial.
“The positive economic and social benefits of this transformational project will impact across the Waikato. The night-time buzz of the theatre and its built-in hospitality spots will a destination that will neatly complement the region’s day-time tourism attractions such as Hobbiton, Waitomo, Maungatautari and the Hamilton Gardens.
“The theatre and surroundings will celebrate the significance of the river and this place to the mana whenua, through pouwhenua, tukutuku and other cultural decoration and treatments.”