Originally published in Waikato Times, Thursday 15 January 2026.
By Katie Hunter.
BNZ Theatre was blessed ahead of its first show, To The Stars Ki Ngā Whetū, opening.
PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.
BNZ Theatre has been blessed ahead of its first show, marking the start of a new era as Waikato’s cultural hub.
Tangata whenua, community leaders and project stakeholders gathered early on Wednesday morning to bless the new theatre, led by representatives of Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Māhanga, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Korokī Kahukura and Ngāti Hauā.
The sound of karakia echoed as the sky deck, lobby, middle floor, and basement were blessed before the group congregated in the auditorium.
Now Waikato Regional Property Trust chairman Ross Hargood can stop and look, he says the theatre is ‘magnificent’. PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.
Addressing attendees, Waikato Regional Property Trust chairman Ross Hargood said it signalled a turning point for BNZ Theatre.
“The blessing signals the shift from construction to activation,” he said.
“This theatre is now yours... it's our community, and it comes alive as it did this morning. When it's filled with people and energy and purpose it'll be the theatre that we perceived when we first started this process.”
“There is an open invitation to artists, audiences, and the wider community to bring creativity, debate, risk, joy, and challenge into this space.”
He told the Waikato Times, “sometimes when you've got your nose to the grindstone and you're doing all the work, you forget that you're actually creating something - and when you stop and look, it is magnificent, it really is.”
The BNZ Theatre will be opened on Monday. PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.
“Everyone who's been involved should be proud of that place.”
In his speech, Hamilton Mayor Tim Macindoe said he thought the completed theatre was likely “the most significant achievement for this city and region in our generation”.
“It is something that generations to come are going to be so blessed to enjoy, as we will be too.”
After watching the theatre be built and dreaming about it for many years before that, it had finally come to fruition and now had the support of Live Nation and BNZ, he said.
Hamilton mayor Tim Macindoe thought BNZ Theatre was ‘one of the best theatres in the Southern Hemisphere’. PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.
“It represents something that is a huge expression of confidence in our city and our region, and I thank each and every one of those who have contributed to bringing it to being, because it is a powerful example of partnership and it represents the most monumental fundraiser.”
Macindoe had a stint as an ambassador for Momentum Waikato, which drove fundraising for the theatre, during the project.
Hamilton Mayor Tim Macindoe, Waikato Regional Property Trust chairman Ross Hardgood and Fosters director Leonard Gardner at the blessing. PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.
He said performers from around the world would be attracted to what he thought was “one of the best theatres in the Southern Hemisphere”.
“I think this is just exhilarating - I am thrilled beyond words to see it all happen,” Macindoe told the Waikato Times after the blessing.
As well as attracting a range of international acts which the region previously did not have the infrastructure to host, BNZ Theatre would bring more visitors into Hamilton.
It was the most significant boost to the city’s local economy since Hamilton Gardens first opened, he said.
“Because you look at how the Hamilton Gardens have put the region on the map and how significant they are in attracting international business...I think that this is the next really big thing.”
Carolyn Hopa, of Ngāti Wairere, said the site the theatre was built on and surrounding area was significant for tangata whenua. PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.
Carolyn Hopa, Ngāti Wairere, said the site was a significant area for tangata whenua. There was a historical burial ground, Hua o te Atua Urupā, located at the back of the theatre.
“As Ngāti Wairere is mana whenua, we have kaitiaki responsibilities for it,” she said. “Being able to acknowledge it first thing this morning was really important.”
She thought it was great to have the theatre opening up to the community.
Nancy Caiger, local philanthropist and treasurer at Hamilton Arts Trust, hopes BNZ Theatre will offer behind-the-scenes tours in the future. PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.
For many guests in attendance, it was their first look inside the newly completed theatre.
Treasurer at Hamilton Arts Trust and local philanthropist Nancy Caiger said the theatre was “like a dream come true”.
“I think that this is such a major, major milestone for the city - a theatre is really the pulsing heart of the city.”
She was hoping the theatre would offer behind-the-scenes tours in the future so people could begin to “understand the magic behind how theatre gets put together”.
BNZ Theatre will open on Monday 19 January with To The Stars Ki Ngā Whetū, a show celebrating the people, places, and creativity in the Waikato region.