{"id":230157,"date":"2026-01-12T19:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T19:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/230157\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T19:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T19:05:11","slug":"live-nation-nz-confirms-bank-of-new-zealand-as-naming-rights-partner-for-waikato-regional-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/230157\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Nation NZ Confirms Bank of New Zealand as Naming Rights Partner for Waikato Regional Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Waikato Regional Theatre today announced a new five-year naming rights partnership with Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), in collaboration with Live Nation New Zealand. The partnership will see the 1,300-capacity venue renamed BNZ Theatre, reflecting a shared commitment to supporting arts, culture, and community across Hamilton and the wider Waikato region as the venue prepares to open in January 2026.<\/p>\n

BNZ Theatre will serve as a gateway to both domestic and international arts and entertainment, offering audiences a world-class venue that champions creativity, cultural exchange, and regional pride.<\/p>\n

M\u0101ori soul singer, TEEKS, will be the first major artist to perform on the theatre\u2019s public opening night on January 23, followed by New Zealand legends Sir Dave Dobbyn (24 \u2013 25 January) and Bic Runga (21 March) and the first international artist Sophie Ellis Bextor on 3 February.<\/p>\n

BNZ CEO Dan Huggins says: \u201cWe\u2019re proud to support BNZ Theatre \u2013 Waikato\u2019s premier new arts and entertainment venue located in the heart of Hamilton city. This partnership reflects our commitment to the Waikato and to delivering meaningful social, cultural, and economic benefits to our customers and the wider community.<\/p>\n

\u201cHamilton sits at the heart of New Zealand\u2019s primary sector engine room \u2013 a city where agritech, research and rural enterprise intersect to drive billions in value for our national economy.<\/p>\n

BNZ Theatre will not only bring more opportunities to enjoy the vibrant world of the arts, culture, and live entertainment, it will also help to create jobs, support local tourism and local small businesses, particularly in the hospitality and accommodation sectors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking forward to being part of the extensive programming BNZ Theatre will bring to the region and celebrating with our customers and the wider community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristy Rosser, Senior Vice President, Head of Media and Sponsorship at Live Nation Australia and New Zealand says: \u201cBNZ\u2019s partnership marks an exciting new chapter for the Waikato Regional Theatre, now BNZ Theatre. From January 2026, its diverse programming will help shape a dynamic cultural hub that attracts local and international performers and elevates this world-class venue.\u201d<\/p>\n

BNZ Theatre will open its doors for a special civic opening on January 19 through to January 21 with the world premiere of \u201cTo the Stars \/ King\u0101 Whet\u016b\u201d (19 \u2013 21 January), commissioned by the Waikato Regional Property Trust and produced by Mayall Creative. The event will celebrate the creative spirit of the Waikato region through a performance involving hundreds of local performers from diverse artistic communities.<\/p>\n

Located at 198 Victoria Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton, BNZ Theatre officially opens to the public on 19 January 2026.<\/p>\n

For programming and further information, visit\u00a0waikatoregionaltheatre.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Waikato Regional Theatre today announced a new five-year naming rights partnership with Bank of New Zealand (BNZ),…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3680,137063,137064,137065,137066,137067,111,43,139,69,137068,137069,85147,137070],"class_list":["post-230157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-bic-runga","tag-bnz-theatre","tag-dan-huggins","tag-kristy-rosser","tag-live-nation-new-zealand","tag-mayall-creative","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sir-dave-dobbyn","tag-sophie-ellis-bextor","tag-teeks","tag-waikato-regional-theatre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}