Waikato Times: Signing the steel - Milestone moment for regional theatre as final beam lifted into place

Originally published in Waikato Times, Thursday 27 February 2025.

By Mike Mather.

Waikato Regional Property Trust chairman Ross Hargood adds a few extra names to the beam at the ‘signing of the steel’ ceremony, as former Momentum Waikato chief executive Kelvyn Eglinton looks on. Photo: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.

There were a few beaming faces and one big beam that was the centre of attention at the Waikato Regional Theatre on Wednesday.

The beam in question was a 600kg steel strut that was lifted into place atop the theatre’s flying tower, shortly after midday - but not before it was decorated with about 30 signatures of those who have had central roles in the project.

There were also speeches by Foster Construction project manager Ben Royfee and Waikato Regional Property Trust chairman Ross Hargood and a sausage sizzle for the workers.

Foster Construction site manager Dave Middlemiss signs the final piece of steel. Photo: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.

Site manager Dave Middlemiss said a “topping off” ceremony was a long-standing tradition in the construction industry, when the last part of a building’s main structure - usually the uppermost part - is put in place.

“Every building has a roof shout. But not all of them get a topping off. It’s an event that is reserved for buildings of reasonable height or noteworthy buildings,” Middlemiss said.

The big grey beam - a rafter in the flying tower - and the topping off effectively signals the end of the structural construction stage of the project. It’s also an opportunity for those involved to pause and reflect on what they had achieved.

A few of the names that will now literally be part of theatre. Photo: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.

“In our industry we forget to celebrate things sometimes,” Royfee said. “To date there’s been over 400,000 man hours on site. That’s a lot.”

Royfee said his crew and the subcontractors deserved immense thanks “for the resilience they have shown through the tough times to get us through”.

“I’m really pleased that we are able to celebrate these sorts of things, because we will never be able to do this again,” Hargood told the crowd.

“It’s great that all of you are here and playing your part to get this theatre built. People in the community will be able to get in there in October or November sometime - So that’s thanks to all of you.

The beam is hoisted aloft to the flying tower - a corner of which can be seen from this vantage point. Photo: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.

“It’s [a project] that you can one day say ‘I worked on that’. ‘I helped deliver the steel or the concrete or those panels - we put those up’. It’s a good feeling to be able to look up and know it was part of your handiwork that’s in there.”

There are some other milestones coming up for the theatre project, including a roof shout, once the auditorium roof is completed and the building is effectively weather-sealed.

The internal fit-out will then get under way in earnest, and the “envelope” surrounding the theatre will also become a focus for the project team.