World-class BNZ Theatre opens in Hamilton

Jasmax (Lead Designer) and Charcoalblue (Lead Consultant) collaborated to design this transformative, culture-led development that breathes new life into the heart of Aotearoa New Zealand’s fastest-growing city. Jasmax led the architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture, while Charcoalblue led the specialist technical design, theatre design, and acoustics. This vibrant destination for arts, performance, and community life revitalises Hamilton’s city centre, reconnecting it to the Waikato River.

The 8,500sqm, mixed-use development features a spectacular 1,300-seat auditorium combining a lyric theatre and symphonic hall integrating an orchestra shell for superior acoustic clarity. The dynamic venue is capable of operating in seated theatrical, orchestral and contemporary standing performance modes, accommodating a complete range of full-scale international touring productions.

The building features a series of indoor and outdoor gathering and impromptu performance spaces, including a multi-level riverside foyer with cantilevering timber staircases connecting to an outdoor ātea (courtyard) space and Embassy Park, all linked to hospitality venues fronting the river and Victoria Street.

The theatre can be approached through the ātea space or through the restored front door of the former Hamilton Hotel (1923), which has been faithfully recreated behind an immaculately restored 100-year-old Beaux Arts façade. The interior design integrates heritage elements throughout, including an original oak staircase and items from Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation tour apartment. Almost a decade in the making, the project continues the legacy of the Embassy and Founders Theatres, advancing Hamilton’s rich performing arts heritage into a bold new chapter.

“We have designed a building that respects its historic context while providing world-class facilities for modern performances,” says David Pugh, Project Principal at Jasmax. ​“The theatre reconnects Hamilton with the Waikato River, transforming the riverbank into an activated cultural destination that honours both the site’s heritage and its future.”

Charcoalblue Director Erin Shepherd says the ambition was to create a truly world-class venue. ​“The auditorium and stage are designed for excellent comfort, unimpeded sightlines, and a global standard of technology equivalent to Broadway and London’s West End. Through deep consultation with Waikato’s artistic community and national stakeholders, we’ve delivered a theatre and acoustic design that offers intimacy for spoken performances and the capability for high-energy concerts.”

The auditorium includes removable seating that allows for flat-floor standing configurations and seamless transitions between theatrical, orchestral and contemporary performances. Its acoustic design, complete with a demountable suspended orchestra shell, was carefully developed to meet the requirements of large orchestras, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, delivering exceptional sound quality. The venue will serve not only world-class touring artists but also the region’s young performers and creative communities, including school productions, youth theatre, and educational programmes.

The theatre reestablishes a connection between Hamilton’s city centre and the Waikato River – a taonga (treasure) to the Māori iwi (tribes) of Waikato and Tūwharetoa. Dramatic stone-clad blade walls frame river views from the foyer, celebrating the river’s cultural, environmental, and spiritual significance.

Clad in locally sourced Hinuera stone – a natural volcanic stone quarried in the Waikato region – the building is deeply connected to its landscape. The design responds to the steep descent to the riverbank, using the site’s elevation to shape engaging public spaces, including a riverside boardwalk and new outdoor plaza. Mature listed trees have been preserved and now form a focal point from the theatre’s VIP entertaining areas.

The late Ralph Hotere’s iconic Founders Theatre mural (1973) has been reinstalled in the theatre’s foyer. The 9m-wide, 5m-high masterpiece incorporates a representation of the Waikato River, the activity in the theatre and the seven heavens, or the Matariki star cluster. The Riff Raff statue from The Rocky Horror Picture Show has also been returned to its original home in Embassy Park. 

As part of a wider precinct transformation, the theatre brings renewed vibrancy to Hamilton’s CBD, encouraging residents and visitors to return to the city centre for arts, performance, and shared experiences. The venue is set to become a catalyst for cultural and economic growth, boosting Hamilton’s night-time economy, growing domestic tourism, and supporting careers in creative and technical sectors.

“The BNZ Theatre represents a significant leap forward for live performance in the Waikato and for contemporary venue design in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rather than turning inward, the building opens itself to the city and the river, connecting audiences to the natural environment, the artists on stage, and the layered cultural heritage of Kirikiriroa Hamilton. It is a theatre that reflects the whenua (land) and the community it serves, while setting a new benchmark for what a single performance space can achieve technically,” says Gus Sharp, Waikato Regional Property Trust client representative.

Project Credits:

• Client: Momentum Waikato, Waikato Regional Property Trust
• Construction: Foster Construction
• Lead Designer: Jasmax (Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture)
• Lead Consultant: Charcoalblue (Specialist Technical Design, Theatre Design, Acoustics)
• Heritage Architect: archifact
• Operator: Live Nation
• Fundraiser and Donor Management: Momentum Waikato
• Mana Whenua:
  • Te Haa o te Whenua o Kirikiriroa (THaWK) – Ngaati Maahanga, Ngaati Tamainupoo, Ngaati Korokii Kahukura and Ngaati Hauaa, Piripi Matika
  • Ngāti Wairere
  • Waikato-Tainui