Originally published in Waikato Times, Monday 19 January 2026.
By Mike Mather.
Leonard Gardner has been the ultimate driver of the BNZ Theatre, initially as chairman of Momentum Waikato when it made the call to build the theatre in 2016, and, later, as chief executive of Foster Construction Group, who have made it. PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.
The BNZ Theatre - which opens its doors to the public tonight with the first of three nights of community-led celebrations - is indisputably the new crowning glory of Hamilton.
However, Leonard Gardner and Fosters Construction Group may have come uncomfortably close to having to part with some of their own crown jewels to make it happen.
Fosters - which Gardner had been a part of in various capacities since 2003, including as chief executive - had not initially been directly involved in the theatre project, but were eventually awarded the contract to build it in March 2020.
The company had accepted a “guaranteed maximum price” for the job. But then New Zealand was struck by the chaos of the Covid pandemic, followed by some big escalations in the cost of construction materials - and suddenly the Hamilton-based firm was out of pocket.
Gardner won’t quantify how bad the hit was for Fosters - “but it came at a cost ... We had to sell a few things to pay for it”.
However, “what we have ended up with is a significant asset for our city. That’s the main thing. The theatre is our contribution to the community ... and we have still got good business here.”
A big part of that good business is the new University of Waikato Medical School, which Foster Construction have been contracted to build.
Leonard Gardner chats with top Foster Construction engineer Stu Bryant. “The engineering team really pulled out all the stops to get the theatre job done. I’m really proud of them,” says Gardner. PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.
“That’s going to be another major and transformative project for Hamilton. Student numbers grow and that leads to increased demand for accommodation - there are all kinds of positive flow-on effects.
“The challenges with the theatre project have all been uncontrollables. We have overcome them and delivered an amazing outcome.
“I’m really proud of all the team - including all the directors and governors and shareholders. They took a massive risk on behalf of the community.
“And the theatre really is a true community project. All kinds of people and organisations have chipped in, in all kinds of ways ... This will forever be known as a project in which the community came together for the benefit of future generations.”
It might seem like an overstatement, but it is highly likely there would be no BNZ Theatre without Leonard Gardner.
That’s not something you will hear from him, however. To describe Gardner - a commercial director and former chief executive at Foster Construction Group - as someone not prone to blowing his own trumpet would be a definite understatement.
The Waikato Regional Theatre will be called the BNZ Theatre for the next five years, as part of a partnership between the bank and Live Nation NZ.
But, if you speak to anyone involved in the story of how the theatre came about, it quickly becomes clear Gardner has been the ultimate driver of the entire project.
Gardner had not long been the chairman of the philanthropic organisation Momentum Waikato when, in February 2016, the Hamilton City Council made the call to abruptly close down Founders Theatre, the city’s major theatre.
That building had been given a seismic assessment of having just 11% of NBS (New Building Standard), and the flying system above the stage was best described as dilapidated and in need of complete replacement.
“It caused quite a lot of angst at the time,” recalls Gardner. “That was the challenge and it became an opportunity. Could we spend an enormous amount of money on the existing theatre and have it last another 20 years ... or could we do something better?”
The opportunity was not to simply replace one theatre with another, but to create something that would be transformational for the entire city, Gardner said.
“It was not long before that we had been talking about what the purpose of Momentum Waikato was, and that was to create a better Waikato for everyone ... Well, here was a project that fitted that mandate - but it was big, and it came with a lot of risks.”
Convinced that the result would be worth taking those risks, Momentum Waikato presented the case for a new theatre to the council in July 2016.
“They had about $20 million earmarked for refurbishing and strengthening Founders, and we said ‘Why not put that money to a new theatre in a new location that would have more benefits to the region?’”
Some of Momentum’s funders contributed money that allowed the organisation to engage international theatre and acoustic experts Charcoalblue to make an assessment of what the Waikato region needed in a theatre - effectively kickstarting the process.
“There were 28 potential sites around the city that were looked at, including the Founders site. We asked Charcoalblue to come up with criteria to evaluate them all, taking into account factors like transport, available space, parking ... It was quite an extensive report.
“The number one site was where it is at.”
The Hamilton Hotel site was at the time owned by Mitch and Kate Plaw - prominent philanthropists and business owners known for their world-class equestrian venue, Takapoto Estate, near Lake Karapiro.
The couple simply gifted the land to Momentum for the purposes of building a theatre there.
“None of this would have been possible without their generosity.”
In October 2017 the theatre project had received its first formal financial commitment, with Trust Waikato granting $15 million. The city council formally committed the $25 million it would have spent on a Founders repair, and the Waikato Regional Council then added $5 million in June 2018.
“The city council gets a pretty rough rap, but they have been very supportive of the entire process.
Then, in November 2019 then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the Provincial Growth Fund was putting $12 million into the construction of the theatre.
In the meantime, Gardner had stepped down from the chairmanship of Momentum and he Waikato Regional Property Trust (WRPT), which now owns the theatre, was founded in October 2018, replacing the Theatre Governance Panel, with several members of that group crossing over to the new entity.