Arena Market: New Zealand

New Zealand is home to a dynamic music scene that regularly punches above the weight of a 5 million population – roughly equal with the city of Sydney.

Its most populous market, Auckland, a north island spot with more than 1.6m residents, is a regular destination on international tours to these parts. Spark Arena often hosts the action.

Like its neighbours across the Tasman, the arena and others are flush with events following the barren years of the pandemic.

Business has “been fantastic” in 2023,” explains Mark Gosling, general manager, Spark Arena, who, at the time of writing, says the venue has almost 100 shows booked in for the calendar year.

Business has “been fantastic” in 2023,” explains Mark Gosling, general manager, Spark Arena

A range of acts passed through the 12,000-capacity, multipurpose facility in the past year, including comedy shows with Kevin Hart, Michael McIntyre, and Dave Chappelle; and concerts by Florence and the Machine, Rod Stewart, Morgan Wallen, and The 1975.

The months ahead include Hamilton the Musical, sold-out shows for Lizzo, Lewis Capaldi, and Luke Combs. The capital, Wellington, and its 6,000-capacity TSB Arena (formerly the Queens Wharf Events Centre), hosted a sold-out performance by The 1975 in April and will expect another full house when Capaldi’s tour drops by this July.

British singer-songwriter David Gray’s White Ladder 20th anniversary tour in 2022 completed its lap of ANZ with a three-arena run, kicking off at Christchurch Arena, the 9,000-capacity room formerly known as Horncastle Arena, in NZ’s south island, then moving north for shows at TSB Arena and a closer one at Spark Arena.

“It was always a relative unknown how the industry would bounce back after the severe impacts of Covid-19, but there is a clear desire for members of our community to enjoy live entertainment and lifestyle events after being starved of them for such a time”

Christchurch Arena, the major room in the Canterbury capital, will host Cirque du Soleil‘s Crystal, Disney on Ice, and performances from The Chicks, Matchbox Twenty, and blink-182 in the months ahead.

“It was always a relative unknown how the industry would bounce back after the severe impacts of Covid-19, but there is a clear desire for members of our community to enjoy live entertainment and lifestyle events after being starved of them for such a time,” says Caroline Harvie-Teare, chief executive Venues Ōtautahi, which runs the arena.

“We have seen good levels of ticket sales across all genres including entertainment events such as The Killers, Jimmy Carr, Dave Chapelle, Michael McIntyre, and lifestyle events.

“Christchurch Arena has been undergoing a major capital programme of work to deliver a range of enhancements to the venue. In the coming 12 months, all permanent and retractable seats will be replaced, as well as the corporate suites having a full upgrade.

“We have seen good levels of ticket sales across all genres including entertainment events such as The Killers, Jimmy Carr, Dave Chapelle, Michael McIntyre, and lifestyle events”

This, coupled with a full technology upgrade implemented during Covid-19, [means] the venue is standing in good stead to continue to deliver a diverse range of events all enhancing the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the region.”

Perhaps due to its isolation, NZ doesn’t always follow the trends. The market was among the first to test socially distanced concerts during the pandemic, one of the first to open up. Crowded House’s March 2021 To the Island tour kicked off at Claudelands Arena and completed ten dates for arguably the world’s first national tour during the pandemic.

Auckland rockers Six60 became the first stadium band of the Covid-19 era. Now, with the chapter on Covid closed, the flow of concerts and events and the appetite for action is “absolutely back in force,” says Gosling.

The 6,000-capacity Claudelands Arena in Hamilton, some 120kms from Auckland, and a winner of ‘large venue of the year’ at the 2019 EVANZ Awards, has a raft of concerts on the cards for 2023, including tribute shows to Queen, Pink Floyd, and Neil Diamond.

“International touring artists are back, but we’re finding that promoters are being a lot more conservative with their projections than pre-pandemic.”

Auckland’s second-biggest room, The Trusts Arena, with its 4,900-capacity, will host performances in 2023 by Indian artist Jubin Nautiyal, comedian Jo Koy, and a lecture by US astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Commercial manager Simon Daly, says: “International touring artists are back, but we’re finding that promoters are being a lot more conservative with their projections than pre-pandemic.

“The level of enquiries here is high – the end of this year especially is looking very busy for us.”

Like Australia, the arenas business has faced stiff competition from stadiums, with Red Hot Chili Peppers (Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium and Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium), Ed Sheeran (Wellington’s Sky Stadium and Auckland’s Eden Park), and Harry Styles (Mt Smart Stadium) soaking up business in the early months of 2023.

“The level of enquiries here is high – the end of this year especially is looking very busy for us.”

Gosling welcomes it. “We are fully open, and it definitely feels like (the pandemic) is behind us. There are still some small wrinkles to iron out, such as staffing issues with casual event staff, but this is improving.” The challenges to doing business are many and varied, from freight costs and production supply, “but I’m glad to see gradual improvements every day, and we’re on track for a record year.”