Waikato Business News July/August 2017

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS July/August 2017
11
River location of
proposed theatre
welcomed
A senior Hamilton City Council general
manager has welcomed the announcement
of a river location for Hamilton’s proposed
new theatre.
The recommended location
for the new Waikato
Regional Theatre has
been announced as the Hamilton
Hotel site on Victoria St,
and the community’s feedback
on this is being sought. The
privately-owned site currently
has a range of restaurants and
bars and is bordered by Embassy
Park (with the Riff Raff
statue) on one side and Sapper
Moore-Jones Place (formerly
Marlborough Pl) on the other,
and runs down to the river.
Sean Murray, the council’s
general manager venues, tourism,
and major events group,
says if the construction of the
new theatre goes ahead on the
Hamilton Hotel site, it will
contribute to some of the council’s
strategic aims for the city
– particularly the River Plan
and the Central City Transformation
Plan.
“We like the idea that the
theatre could be accessed from
the river,” he says.
“Developing a new theatre
on that site puts it right in the
heart of the city’s hospitality
An aerial view of the proposed
Regional Theatre site
district, as well as the city’s
creative district, with Waikato
Museum, The Meteor and Embassy
Park all close by. “The
Hamilton Hotel is an important
heritage building for the city
and this project, if it proceeds,
would give it a fantastic new
lease on life and add richly to
its history and prominence.”
“We’re excited and pleased
Momentum Waikato and Charcoalblue
are recommending
a site in the central city,” Mr
Murray says.
A new theatre development
would look to restore the facade
of the old Hamilton Hotel,
which is recognised as a
heritage building. Momentum
Waikato Community Foundation
chairman Leonard Gardner
and Waikato Regional
Theatre Governance Panel
chairman Julian Elder briefed
Hamilton City Council’s mayor
and councillors in July about
the recommended site.
Says Mr Gardner, “This
location will transform the region
and city through recognising
history, revitalising the
Momentum Waikato Trust
chairman Leonard Gardner.
CBD, supporting hospitality
offerings, and enhancing connection
with the Waikato River.”
Momentum Waikato has
joined with Hamilton City
Council to fund the work to
reach recommendations on
the best options to replace the
ageing Founders Theatre,
closed last year due to safety
concerns. Momentum Waikato
and Hamilton City Council
each secured $100,000 and
appointed the independent
Waikato Regional Theatre
Governance Panel to manage
the process of determine
the optimum theatre location,
configuration, design, and the
range of expected community
benefits of a new theatre.
Late last year the panel engaged
international theatre design
consultancy Charcoalblue
The old Hamilton Hotel site would have its façade
restored and become the new Regional Theatre.
to carry out the work. Dr Elder
says Charcoalblue has spent
several months talking with
stakeholders and user groups
throughout the region and investigating
possible locations
around Hamilton City, owned
by the Council or private
landholders, to make its recommendation
on location and
concept. The concept design
for the site and business case
for the theatre will be presented
to the council at an August
24 meeting and will then go
out to public consultation.
Momentum Waikato is encouraging
the community to
offer feedback on the recommended
site, and this can be
done via Momentum Waikato,
and via the public consultation
process from September.
Members of the public are also
welcome to sign up for regular
updates from Momentum
Waikato.
Mr Murray who is also the
council’s representative on the
theatre panel, says although
the council has committed, in
principle, $30 million to the
project, there is a lot more
work to be done before the
project commences. The Hamilton
Hotel site is owned by the
Plaw family and has a long and
strong arts and theatre history.
Says spokesperson Mitch
Plaw: “We are fully supportive
of the recommended new theatre
location and look forward
to working with the theatre
project team to create the best
outcome for the Waikato region
and Hamilton CBD.”
Among the approximately
25 sites considered by Charcoalblue
were Grantham St,
Sonning Carpark (on River
Rd) and Garden Place. The
existing Founders Theatre site
was carefully considered, as
was the idea of utilising land at
the University of Waikato, but
the Hamilton Hotel site was
deemed better able to achieve
the goals of the community.
Dr Elder says the Waikato
Regional Theatre Governance
Panel promised to deliver on
the community’s behalf a robust
process seeking a new
theatre site, and he believes
this has been achieved. As well
as its in-depth discussions with
stakeholders, Charcoalblue has
been working with architects,
engineers and arts advisers to
create the recommendation for
Phase One – the master plan,
cost estimate and build-plan
for a new theatre, Dr Elder
says.
“We’re now working with
Charcoalblue on the finer details
of how this theatre might
look, right down to parking,
accessibility, and dealing with
equipment deliveries that
you’d expect for a theatre site.
Planning and heritage considerations
for the site have been
considered, and we are confident
we can work through these
with Hamilton City Council.”
The full Waikato Regional
Theatre Bulk and Location
report compiled by Charcoalblue,
with rankings of all
the sites considered, is available
on the Momentum Waikato
website.
Mr Gardner says the Waikato
Regional Theatre is planned
to be the head tenant in a “creative
precinct”. The hope is the
theatre project will revitalise
the properties around the theatre
site which are primarily
historic in nature.
“These properties will provide
an ideal home for creative
industry to flourish.” He says
Momentum Waikato’s role is
to convene, connect and align
generous people in Waikato to
create a better Waikato for everyone,
forever - linking major
projects with strategic philanthropy.
“This is a generational opportunity
to create a significant
community asset for our wider
region – not just Hamilton –
and, for the sake of the future
generations, we need to make
sure we do it well.” Momentum
Waikato was approached
last year by a number of generous
individuals and organisations
interested in giving
through Momentum Waikato
to contribute to a new theatre.
“We have several generous
families, individual donors and
local trusts who have supported
us so far, and we are grateful
to have them all on this journey
with us,” Mr Gardner says. He
says there are a number of generous
individuals and organisations
keen to make the theatre a
reality, but the project requires
the entire community to be
generous and work together.
“Momentum Waikato will be
looking for people willing to
invest in future generations to
get the project across the line,”
he says. “Just like members of
the Waikato community contributed
capital to build Founders
Theatre more than 50 years
ago, it’s important we work
with the community again to
take responsibility for delivering
a world-class theatre that
will help transform the urban
fabric of the city and enhance
other plans for the city and the
river,” Mr Gardner says. Momentum
Waikato will be making
it easy for everyone in the
region to be generous and to
support the project.
Waikato Branch – Upcoming events/courses
At the Institute of Directors
we’re on the pulse of governance.
Connecting, equipping and
inspiring directors through thought
leadership and our extensive
network, professional governance
courses, events and resources.
3 August CPD: 2 points
Lunch function panel discussion - Connecting Leadership in Business and Sport
12.00pm - 2.00pm, Avantidrome, Cambridge
10 August CPD: 2 points
Lunch function with guest speaker Paul Thompson, CEO, Radio NZ.
12.00pm - 2.00pm, FMG Stadium Waikato
16 August CPD: 2 points
The subtleties and complexities of University Governance with Neil Quigley
12.00pm - 2.00pm, FMG Stadium Waikato
To register, please contact:
Megan Beveridge,
Branch Manager
Waikato.branch@iod.org.nz,
021 358772 or www.iod.org.nz
Waikato branch is kindly sponsored by: