Originally published in Waikato Times, Tuesday 4 November 2025.
By Mike Mather.
The celebrated singer-songwriter Teeks will perform at the Waikato Regional Theatre launch night on Friday, January 23.
The best new venue in New Zealand is surely deserving of the biggest name in contemporary New Zealand music.
And that’s exactly what will be happening happening at the official launch of the Waikato Regional Theatre on Friday, January 23 when the powerful voice and soulful songs of Teeks will be heard in the main auditorium.
Known to his parents as Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi, the 32-year-old from Hokianga has cemented a place in the upper echelons of this country’s music industry - largely thanks to his reserved and cerebral on-stage demeanour that has been known to hush a packed audience into complete silence.
Teeks made his entrance with the 2017 debut EP The Grapefruit Skies. The now platinum-certified EP was met with critical acclaim in New Zealand, setting the young artist up for what has already proved to be a note-worthy career.
Later that year he took home his first Aotearoa Music Award and attracted nominations for the prestigious APRA Silver Scrolls Award and the Taite Music Prize. In 2021, Teeks released the album Something To Feel which debuted at #1 on the New Zealand chart. The album features the singles Remember Me, First Time and Without You.
As well as powerful music, the audience at the Waikato Regional Theatre will be treated to a stunning visual display when Teeks performs. This shot is from a recent show at the Auckland Town Hall. PHOTO: Tom Grut.
Teeks would later take home three Aotearoa Music Awards along with Best New Zealand Act at the MTV EMAs and Rolling Stone’s Best New Act. This was followed by a sold-out nationwide album tour, which further solidified his reputation as a major new talent.
Teeks reached new heights in 2022 as a global fanbase formed around him, following viral TikTok success in South Africa where First Time is accredited gold. He then went on to achieve a #1 position in the streaming market in the United States.
Now with over 1.4 billion short-form video views, 150 million worldwide streams, 50 million video views, four platinum singles and five gold singles to his name, further fame beckons with his latest single Red Light doing well and a second album currently nearing completion.
The venues where he has attracted a packed house include Auckland’s Civic Theatre, the Sydney Opera House and Spark Arena, as well as drawing a 9000-strong crowd to Melbourne’s Fed Square.
However, Kirikiriroa is one centre he is yet to perform in - a drought that promises to be broken in style on January 23.
The concert is the central “launch” event in what will likely prove to be a memorable opening week for the $80 million venue.
The series of opening events beginning on Monday, January 19 comprise three nights of community opening celebrations titled To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū.
Commissioned by the Waikato Regional Property Trust to mark the opening and celebrate the creativity of the Waikato, it will be created and directed by Jeremy Mayall and all performers, crew and creative teams either live or whakapapa to the Waikato.
Then, on Saturday, January 24 one of Aotearoa’s most beloved and awarded artists, Sir Dave Dobbyn, will bring his Selected Songs Tour to Hamilton.
With more than 45 years as a recording artist, Dobbyn has helped shaped the sound of Kiwi music and his set promises a journey through one of the nation’s most storied song-writing legacies.
Other regional theatre shows on the horizon include the Soweto Gospel Choir on March 28, and Tommy Emmanuel on May 19 - with more to be added to the roster soon.