The Carterton Events Centre may be petite, but it’s also clearly considered impressive, judging by it being tapped as a finalist for Small Venue of The Year at the Entertainment Venues Association NZ Awards.
The awards celebrate venues across New Zealand that have had a notable impact and success in the entertainment industry.
The centre is up against Hawke’s Bay arts and events centre Toitoi and Auckland’s Q Theatre for the title.
It has been nominated for this category several times before, most recently in 2021 when Carterton Events Centre sales and marketing coordinator Jenni Hall won the award for Rising Star of the Year.
Earlier this year, a new space – Te Mahau Gigs – was launched within the centre’s atrium for smaller, more intimate live performances.
Carterton Events Centre team leader Erin Banks said the venue is a valuable arts and community asset for all Wairarapa.
“I’m just so proud of our amazing team and so happy that their hard work and commitment in making the centre what it is has been acknowledged in this way,” Banks said.
“And the amazing community who support the events and performances here – so many people have contributed to the success of the centre.
“I see this nomination as a great acknowledgement of all those people.”
Feeling “lucky to serve Wairarapa community as a hub of culture”, Banks said the centre’s purpose is to enrich the lives of everyone who visits it, “be they artists, audience, library patrons or simply members of our community looking for a space that they feel is theirs”.
Banks also had high praise for the staff behind the centre and said the team punches well above its weight.
“We may be a small-town centre with a relatively small population, but we aren’t daunted by taking on touring productions that have been seen the world over,” said Banks.
“We deliver that same level of service and manaakitanga across the board, from international artists to local community groups.”
The award winners will be announced at Dunedin Town Hall on Wednesday, November 29.
The event center cost the rate payers millions and has ongoing costs its a luxury for for 5% of the rate payers and the clock ⏰ tower $1 million totally mismanaged and just to add salt to the rate payers wound you what a $80k EV van 😳. As stated for a small community?. We need a wairarapa district council our 3 district councils are out of control.