This is not a comprehensive list of all venues rather an overview. Most towns have a town hall with concert facilities. There are also lots of venues owned and maintained by
amateur societies (musical theatre and drama) such as
Westpoint Performing Arts Centre,
Western Springs, Auckland. There are also purpose built auditoriums and facilities in some schools.
Entertainment Venues Association Of New Zealand (EVANZ) is a members organisation that does advocacy and development for venues such as theatres, stadia, arenas, convention centres, sports grounds and community event centres.
Whangārei Forum North in
Whangārei operating for over 40 years has a main theatre and exhibition hall.
Auckland Auckland central has on
Queen Street the
Aotea Centre,
The Civic,
Q Theatre, The Classic: Comedy Club and the
Auckland Town Hall. The
St. James Theatre, built for vaudeville acts originally is closed with a renewed campaign to save it in 2021 that has the backing of Auckland Central MP
Chloe Swarbrick. Three venues very different from each other that are near to Auckland city centre are
Sky City Theatre in a casino, the
Basement Theatre and the
ASB Waterfront Theatre. Other notable venues in Auckland are the
Bruce Mason Centre in
Takapuna and the Corban Estate Arts Centre in
Henderson that includes
Te Pou Theatre. It has a main auditorium, the Addison Theatre, that seats 589. One of the unusual features of Baycourt is its
Wurlizter organ.
Hamilton Venues in
Hamilton include the
Meteor Theatre,
Clarence St Theatre, and
Riverlea Theatre. The Founders Theatre was closed due to health and safety concerns in 2016. A new facility, the
Waikato Regional Theatre, is due to open in 2025 after delays due to "a tight market for materials" and the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Taupō The Great Lakes Centre at Taupō has a theatre for up to 600 people and an exhibition hall.
Wairoa The Gaiety Cinema and Theatre, located at 252 Marine Parade was built in 1925. It was destroyed in the
1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake, but was subsequently rebuilt in 1932 in an
Art Deco style, and is a Category 2 listed historic building. It has hosted many events including screenings of movies, concerts, political rallies and boxing matches. It closed in 1960 and was used for a variety of purposes including as a supermarket and basketball court. In 1998, work was completed to restore it to its former use as a cinema and theatre and it was reopened in 2000. Finances forced it to close in 2009. It reopened in 2015 with support from the
Wairoa District Council. It has a capacity of 250 patrons.
Napier In Napier is the Hawke's Bay Municipal Theatre.
Whanganui The
Royal Whanganui Opera House is a Category 1 listed historic building that opened in 1900. It is said to be the New Zealand's last Victorian theatre.
Palmerston North The Regent Theatre,
Centrepoint Theatre and the Globe Theatre are three performing arts venues in Palmerston North.
Wellington In Wellington are a number of theatre venues. The smaller ones in Wellington City are
BATS Theatre in a restored building,
Circa Theatre on the waterfront, the
Hannah Playhouse formally the home of
Downstage Theatre and the Gryphon (84 seats), home of Stagecraft. The bigger venues are the
Opera House,
St. James Theatre, the
Town Hall and the
Michael Fowler Centre. Wellington is also home to
Te Whaea, in
Newtown. This is the New Zealand National Dance and Drama Centre, and is home to the
New Zealand School of Dance and
Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. In the Hutt Valley there is the
Lower Hutt Little Theatre next to the War Memorial Library on Queens Drive, and in
Upper Hutt is Whirinaki Whare Taonga (formally Expressions) an arts centre that includes a theatre.
Granity The Lyric Theatre in
Granity on the West Coast was bult in 1956 to replace a theatre that was destroyed in a fire. In 2014 the roof was blown off in
Cyclone Ita and the community rallied to replace and upgrade the facility.
Christchurch The
Court Theatre moved from premises at the
Christchurch Arts Centre to The Shed in Addington after the 2011 earthquake. It has planned a permanent home in the city centre. Built in 1908, the
Isaac Theatre Royal is the only operational
Edwardian style theatre remaining in New Zealand. It was closed for four years for repairs following earthquake damage, but reopened in 2014. The
Ngaio Marsh Theatre in the student union building at the
University of Canterbury opened in 1967, replacing The Little Theatre, which burned down in 1948. The Ngaio Marsh theatre was destroyed in the earthquake of 2011, and the rebuilt theatre reopened in 2019. The
Odeon Theatre, Christchurch, a masonry building with a Category 1 heritage listing, opened as the Tuam Street Hall in 1883. It was partially destroyed by the earthquakes, although the facade has been retained.
The Loons is a venue in
Lyttelton, located in a heritage building that was converted in 2007 to host music and performance events. It sustained significant damage in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake but was renovated and re-opened in 2021. The
Lyttelton Arts Factory is a
black box theatre located on the grounds of the Lyttelton Primary School and is a shared-use facility.
Oamaru The
Oamaru Opera House is a Category 1 listed historic building that opened in 1907, originally as the town hall, but is now an auditorium and performing acts venue.
Dunedin The
Globe Theatre, Dunedin was the first purpose-built theatre for repertory in New Zealand, when it was built in 1961. It may also have been the first in New Zealand built without a
proscenium arch. Dunedin's
Fortune Theatre was housed in an adapted church, with the wardrobe up the hill at
King Edward Technical College, and the
Regent Theatre in Dunedin was built as a cinema. Other venues in the city include
Allen Hall theatre at the
University of Otago, the
Athenaeum, the
Dunedin Town Hall, the
Mayfair Theatre in South Dunedin, and the
Playhouse Theatre, home of the
Dunedin Repertory Society. There are several performing arts centres at high schools, notably
Otago Boys' High School,
Kavanagh College, and a shared performing arts centre for
King's and
Queen's High Schools.
Invercargill The
Civic Theatre complex presents touring companies and local organisations with an auditorium that can seat approximately 1000 people . == References ==