Blessing and waiata at the Founders Theatre ahead of its demolition. Video / Malisha Kumar
Work to prepare the Founders Theatre for demolition officially kicked off today.
Mana whenua representatives from Te Haa o te Whenua o Kirikiriroa held a blessing at the site this morning.
Despite talks of a potential protest, the brief event ran smoothly, without any interruptions or protesters visible on site.
The blessing was attended by around 30 people, including Hamilton City councillor Anna Casey-Cox, council staff, members of the public and contractors.
Casey-Cox said: “It was an honour to be at the blessing to say goodbye to a special building that has served our community so well.”
Like many members of the community, she had personal memories linked to the theatre.
“I remember my mum taking us to see Split Enz when I was 4 or 5, and I also graduated there with my grandparents present in 1998,″ she said.
Hamilton's Founders Theatre will soon be demolished. Photo / Malisha Kumar
Graham Haines, from Theatre of the Impossible Charitable Trust (TOTI), also attended and said he was “surprised” to see nobody else from the trust there.
Haines said he was “a bit sad” about the demolition. “This is where I brought my wife to her first concert many, many years ago.”
Auckland-based Yakka Demolition has been tasked with the demolition. Initial work would include asbestos removal and would run until mid-March.
Several items from the theatre would be salvaged for community groups, including the dressing room doors, the green room door, and the stage curtains.
Structural demolition of the building would be done from mid-March, using long-reach excavators with attachments. From mid-April to mid-June, the foundation demolition and final site works will be completed.
The demolition will mark the start of the theatre’s transformation into a multi-purpose park and community performance space.
TOTI made a last-minute appeal last week to save the theatre, however, the council said since the contract for demolition had been let with works imminent, there was no intention to deviate from the decisions that had been made.
Founders Theatre opened in 1962 and hosted acts like Louis Armstrong, the Beach Boys and Lou Reed.
In 2016, the theatre was closed due to significant safety concerns and has since been identified as earthquake-prone.
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.
