Why a multimillion-dollar event centre sits empty
More than a decade since planning started and five years since construction finished, a community centre sits empty in Wellington’s largest suburb, Karori.
The Karori Community Hall Trust broke ground on the Karori Event Centre site back in 2016 after fundraising $2.8 million for the project. Construction was completed on time and under budget in January 2018. However, in the five years since, the event centre in the suburb’s heart has been in limbo.
With a lack of community spaces in the suburb, Karori residents have been left wondering why the completed structure has sat empty.
Catherine, a resident who did not wish to use her last name, said the project’s slow progress was holding the community back.
‘‘It’s a shame that we as a community need to branch out to other suburbs for venues when there’s a purpose-built thing sitting threequarters built.’’
Trust spokesperson Lorna Ingram said the initial build had cost $2.9m and had taken longer than expected.She hoped the city council would treat the community centre as a priority project.
The trust was set up in 2007 to develop a multipurpose community hall adjacent to the Karori Community Centre to replace the St John’s Church hall.
After the trust gained resource consent, the council allocated a $260,000 grant to the project in 2013, followed by a further $610,000 advance on the net proceeds of the sale of the old St John’s site in 2016.
Despite raising $2.8m by 2016, the Christchurch and Kaikōura quakes had affected the momentum of fundraising and the trust knew it would run out of money before it could complete the fit-out of the building.
However, with $750,000 in grants set to expire, the trust made the commitment to build a watertight structure regardless of having the funds to complete the project. Funds for the fit-out would be raised separately. In 2020 the trust secured a funding commitment to finance the fit-out on the condition that the hall was gifted to the council once completed.
The following years were shrouded by the Covid-19 pandemic and progress slowed to a halt, Ingram said.
Western Suburbs councillor Diane Calvert said support for the event centre had been mixed, which likely affected the trust’s ability to fundraise.
Fast-forward to December 2022 and the event centre was handed over to the council.
With a council-approved budget of $1.9m to complete the project, the event centre will offer 218 theatre seats, a 16m wide stage and space for 100 table seatings once opened. Work is now under way to get the fit-out process started, with several building and code of compliance assessments being completed to guide the work.
A council spokesperson said $400,000 had been spent on the fitout as of March 17, 2023.
Meanwhile, the trust is appealing for further donations to fund a retractable seating block along with high quality audiovisual, lighting and sound systems.