Originally published in Waikato Times, Monday 19 January 2026.
By Mike Mather.
Margi Moore and Glenn Holmes were both on the original governance that drove the effort from 2016 to 2019, and then joined the Waikato Regional Property Trust that was set up by Momentum Waikato. PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.
Margi Moore and Glenn Holmes have a demeanour akin to proud parents, as they look over at the BNZ Theatre on the other side of Victoria St.
The pair are founding members of the Waikato Regional Property Trust - the entity that effectively owns the theatre - which was set up by the philanthropic group Momentum Waikato in late 2018.
In a way, the new building is like a progeny that they - along with a broad group of co-parents - have helped raise from infancy. And now that offspring is about to graduate and take its place in the world.
And like any good parent, they only want the best for their offspring.
“I’m probably proudest of the fact the theatre is a combination of local input and effort, and global expertise,” says Moore. “It’s the result of a lot of talented people, all working in collaboration.
“Instead of being apologetic and making do with what could have been another very average theatre, we decided early on to say to ourselves ‘We deserve to have the best’.”
“It was a highly-complex project that everyone involved tackled with a solution-oriented headspace ... As they say, the proof is in the pudding. And the pudding is across the road.”
Waikato Regional Property Trust trustees Glenn Holmes and Margi Moore are thrilled with how the Waikato Regional Theatre has turned out. PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.
Adds Holmes: “It’s been a real achievement for both the city and the region - and that’s a point I think we need to labour: There has been some serious money coming in to this project from beyond the city boundaries. I think those people have recognised that this will be a building that will benefit the entire region.”
Moore and Holmes’ involvement actually pre-dates the trust itself: They were both on Momentum’s initial governance panel that drove the early efforts to establish a new theatre in Hamilton after its predecessor, Founders Theatre, had to be abruptly shut down by the Hamilton City Council due to safety concerns in early 2016.
Both brought much expertise to their roles.
Holmes was a key member of the Hamilton Gardens Development Trust and the chairman of the chair of Waibury Agricultural Investments, while Moore is a former head of Wintec’s School of Media Arts and chairwoman of Creative Waikato - as well as the current chairwoman of the Hamilton Arts Trust, which runs the Boon Street Art Festival.
Holmes said he grew up in the rural Waikato and, by the time he joined the governance panel, had many established contacts throughout the region he knew could help assist the project.
“It was a challenge that really appealed to me.”
Moore was likewise attracted to a development she knew would foster the arts and boost the region’s economic wellbeing.
“I think the key is to think of the theatre as the central part of an ecosystem, rather than a standalone facility,” she said.
“It will be a catalyst for some big changes in central Hamilton ... I’ve already heard of people purchasing buildings in the central city, purely on the basis of the theatre becoming operational. They know that it will be something that will be beneficial to them.”
As well as Moore and Holmes, there are other members of the trust who deserve acknowledgement - not least of whom is Ross Hargood, who has chaired the organisation since it’s inception.
There are also the other trustees who have been there from the start: Belinda Mulgrew, Scott Ratuki and Ken Williamson.
Alongside them are Deborah Nudds and Chris Williams, the non-trustee directors of the operating company appointed in mid-2022 - though, in practice, they ended up leasing the operations to international entertainment giant Live Nation in late 2024, instead of setting up a new company.
And there is also Gus Sharp, who was hired as the trust's “theatre manager” in early 2023 - but then guided them to the Live Nation decision.
“There has been a really strong mixture of really diverse skills and talents, all the way through this project,” said Moore. “This group has responded to some pretty strong challenges and changing conditions, and provided really good continuity.”
Adds Holmes: “There’s been some amazing support - not just from the team building the theatre, but the whole community, and in all sorts of ways.
“Hamilton really pulls together and punches above its weight when it comes to things like this ... We are expecting great things. This theatre is going to get noticed.”