BNZ Theatre

Through deep consultation with Waikato’s artistic community and national stakeholders, the theatre and acoustic design offer intimacy for spoken performances and the capability for high-energy concerts. The spectacular triple-height auditorium and stage deliver excellent comfort, unimpeded sightlines, and technology equivalent to New York’s Broadway and London’s West End theatres.

The auditorium includes removable seating that allows flat-floor standing configurations and seamless transitions between performance types. Its acoustic design, complete with a demountable suspended orchestra shell for superior acoustic clarity, was carefully developed to meet the requirements of large orchestras, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). The venue serves world-class touring artists as well as the region’s young performers and creative communities, including school productions, youth theatre, and educational programmes.

The theatre reestablishes connection between Hamilton’s city centre and the Waikato River – a taonga (treasure) to the Māori iwi (tribes) of Waikato and Tūwharetoa. Clad in locally sourced Hinuera – a natural volcanic stone quarried in the Waikato region – the building is deeply connected to its landscape. Dramatic stone-clad blade walls frame river views from the foyer, celebrating the river’s cultural, environmental, and spiritual significance. 

The development builds on Jasmax’s legacy in the region, following the award-winning Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery (1987), then praised as ​‘one of Hamilton’s most important new buildings’. Similarly, the BNZ Theatre has been referred to by Hamilton Mayor Tim Macindoe as ​‘the most significant achievement for this city and region in our generation’. Like the museum, the theatre’s design responds to the steep descent of the riverbank, using the site’s elevation to shape multi-level public spaces. 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 travel 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 was previously known as the Waikato Regional Theatre.