The Aotea Centre () is a performing arts and events centre in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Located at the western edge of Aotea Square, off Queen Street, the centre provides a cultural, entertainment and conventions venue space in the heart of the city, and is managed by

Auckland Unlimited Tātaki Auckland Unlimited is the council-controlled organisation (CCO) of Auckland Council that serves as Auckland's economic and cultural agency. The organisation runs major assets such as the zoo, theatres, stadiums, galleries and other facili ...

(which also operates the

Auckland Town Hall The Auckland Town Hall is an Edwardian architecture, Edwardian building on Queen Street, Auckland, Queen Street in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, known both for its original and ongoing use for administrative functions (such as Local authority, ...

and The Civic, both in the vicinity of the Square). The origin of its name is Motu Aotea, the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

name for

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, which is the largest offshore island of New Zealand and approximately 90 km from downtown Auckland. The main construction of the centre was finished in 1989, having cost NZ$128.5 million. The centre officially opened the following year. Designed by the City architect Ewen Wainscott in 1974, the building was not actually built until more than a decade later. It won the NZIA Silver Medal award. Costs escalated greatly during construction resulting in several features being omitted. Due to poor acoustics, the main auditorium required a refit in the mid-1990s and underwent refurbishment in 2012. In the wake of this, the theatre won the inaugural Best Medium Venue at th
Entertainment Venues of New Zealand (EVANZ)
awards in late 2013. The Centre provides a range of foyers, gallery spaces, and function rooms as well as the 2,139 sea
Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre
(formerly ASB Theatre, renamed in 2019) and the much smaller, 186-sea
Herald Theatre
which is mainly used by small independent theatre companies. In 2000 a design competition was held for the Aotea Precinct, and the winner was the landscape architecture-urban design team consisting of Ted Smyth, Rod Barnett and Dushko Bogunovich. In 2011, an upgrade o
Aotea Square
also included a major facelift of the public stairs in front of the Centre, including creating a cafe space
The Terrace Café
under a large veranda open to the Square. The Centre has hosted the

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's association football, football championship contested by List of women's national association football teams, women's nat ...

to be held in Australia and New Zealand. Several significant New Zealand artworks are on display in the foyers of the Aotea Centre, including the acclaimed digital work,
Ihi
', by Lisa Reihana, or the very artistic Aotea Cartouche by Dennis O'Connor made from Eritrea marble and

Mount Somers Mount Somers () is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, New Zealand, nestled in the foothills of the Southern Alps. The population in the 2021 census was 160. Due to its scenic location, it has seen growth in the number of holi ...

limestone. Out front they have a huge attraction, Waharoa. ‘Waharoa’ is a seven metre high gateway and stands at the entrance to Aotea Square, transforming it into a marae or meeting place. The Aotea Centre also holds Terry Stringer's sculpture of

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December ...

, made of bronze, this statue sits on Level 3 of Aotea Centre, adjacent to Door D into the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre and was unveiled by

herself. Finally we have Taula, the Anchor Stone. Donated from the people of the

Pacific Islands The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...

This was given to

at the 1998 Pacific Vision Conference and places itself by the level 2 stalls at the front of the Aotea Centre, The arrow points to the north-east, in the direction of central Polynesia. The arrangement also suggests Aotearoa New Zealand's North and South Islands. There have been many shows and concerts at the Aotea Centre. They have a very wide variety, from cultural shows to DJ's. The acclaimed Nepal Festival was held at this venue in previous years.

References

External links

Photographs of Aotea Square
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Auckland Theatres in Auckland Arts centres in New Zealand Convention centres in New Zealand Tourist attractions in Auckland 1980s architecture in New Zealand Auckland CBD