Hawke's Bay Opera House & Arts Precinct Redevelopment
Fundraising is required to help move this project along and deliver on the community's vision of restoring and enhancing our cultural heart.
Hawke's Bay
What is the Hawke’s Bay Opera House & Arts Precinct?
The Hawke’s Bay Opera House & Arts Precinct is a collection of buildings which have played a significant role in the social, cultural and civic history of the region. It comprises the Hawke’s Bay Opera House, Municipal Building, Opera House Plaza and The Eastbourne function space.
Both the Municipal Building and Hawke’s Bay Opera House Theatre have a listed heritage status of Category One under the Historic Places Trust, are noted as Category One in the Hastings District Plan, and under the New Zealand Historic Places Act 1993 are identified as potential archaeological sites.
In early 2014, the Hawke’s Bay Opera House and the neighbouring Municipal Building were closed after multiple engineering inspections found the buildings to be a risk to life in the event of a sizeable earthquake.
The Proposal
In February and March 2016, Hastings District Council undertook a special consultative process entitled Tihei Heretaunga, Growing our Cultural Heart, which sought the community’s views on the potential for redevelopment of the Hawke’s Bay Opera House & Arts Precinct including the future of the Municipal Building.
Based on public feedback combined with the deliberations of an Independent Working Party (IWP), it was proposed that the Municipal Building be developed as a “community hub” for the development and delivery of an evolving range of allied performing arts programmes, activities and experiences, across a range of audiences and disciplines.
To see the latest concept designs for the Municipal Building please visit: https://www.hawkesbayoperahouse.co.nz/redevelopment/concepts-for-the-hastings-municipal-building/
Fundraising
In order to help move this project along and deliver on the community's vision of restoring and enhancing our cultural heart, fundraising is required.
Please join us today in supporting this worthwhile community project. All funds raised will be paid to the verified bank account of Hawke’s Bay Opera House & Arts Precinct.
Use of funds
Funds will be paid to a verified bank account of Hawke's Bay Opera House & Arts Precinct.
Latest update
The roof is on - Plaza building taking shape - MEDIA RELEASE 26 July 2019
With its steel roof in place and the concrete being poured for the floor, the Plaza building is fast taking shape ahead of opening early next year.
The Plaza rebuild is taking place alongside the Hawke’s Bay Opera House Theatre and Municipal Building earthquake strengthening programme that started in 2016.
Work to reconstruct the Plaza site began with its new foundations being laid in December last year, and since then progress has been steady.
With the steel roof now 95 per cent in place, it’s full steam ahead to pour the concrete floor, which will be followed by the installation of the double-glazed glass etched panels that make up the exterior wall on Hastings Street.
The final stage will be to install the decorative, acoustic ceiling – the icing on the cake of the transformation of this space into an inspiring gathering place for locals and visitors alike.
Meanwhile, work on the Hawke’s Bay Opera House itself is also well advanced with much of the structural work complete and the big job of cleaning and painting the interior and all of its decorative features underway.
Group manager community facilities and programmes Alison Banks said it was exciting to see the overall project coming to life, aided recently by a $4.75m funding boost from the Lottery Grants Board.
This comprised $4m from the Significant Project Fund allocated to the Municipal Building redevelopment, and $750,000 from the Environment Heritage Fund to go towards the cost of earthquake strengthening the Municipal Building.
“This external funding support is invaluable for us to help realise the vision for this precinct that as an events and cultural centre will offer a unique visitor experience and act as a hub for the community to enjoy.”
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst says both the Opera House and Plaza are set to reopen by February next year, which along with the Municipal Building, will form a world class arts, conferencing, events and entertainment venue that meets the needs, goals and aspirations of future generations.
Earthquake strengthening work is underway on the Municipal Building, with this facility projected to reopen in 2021.
“Later this year, we will talk to the community about the great opportunities that the Muni will offer,” Mrs Hazlehurst says.
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