The project on Victoria Street South replaces the 50-year-old Founders Theatre, which has been closed since 2016 because of seismic issues with the flying system. Connecting to the eastern side of the existing heritage Hamilton Hotel (which has occupied the Victoria Street site since 1864), the new structure will both address the river and reinvigorate the street frontage. It includes restoration of the hotel to incorporate a new art gallery at level one in the former Chartwell Trust space, as well as hospitality on Victoria Street and a riverside café.

The Waikato Regional Theatre Property Trust says the $80-million precinct will house a 1300-seat lyric theatre, which has been uniquely designed to maximise use of the space, since it is able to operate in both theatre and orchestra modes.

Jasmax principal David Pugh says the project incorporates a series of integrated indoor and outdoor courtyard gathering spaces for events and informal performances, including an internal planted atrium, a foyer which links visually to the river and a sculptural stair connection between the Victoria Street entry and the riverside promenade one level below.

River views from the foyer are framed by blade walls set at right angles to the river, designed to strengthen the verticality of the space and frame a series of outdoor garden rooms as well as to emphasise the presence of the Waikato River below.

Pugh says the Waikato Regional Theatre is one of the most significant projects the region has seen in recent years. “It will redefine and transform Hamilton’s cultural precinct and city centre,” he says. “Connecting to the iconic Waikato River, the design integrates with the surrounding urban fabric and celebrates the heritage, landscape and social character of the site. The theatre will accommodate a range of activities for the community, from ballet and orchestra to kapa haka, dance and stand-up comedy, and introduce high-quality amenities to inject new energy into the city.”

Although still in its early stages, an arts integration strategy is being developed with local artists, iwi and the Riff Raff Trust. Plans are under way to integrate art within the landscape as well as the building, including Ralph Hotere’s Founders Theatre Mural (commissioned in 1973), which will form the centrepiece of the foyer. The 27-panelled work references both the Waikato River and the activities that take place within the theatre under a depiction of the seven heavens.

The project is due to open mid-2024.