Rotorua’s mayor is “humbled” to see the Sir Howard Morrison Centre “come back to life” after being closed for more than five years.
And some of the city’s residents say they are “very impressed” with the newly restored building and that it was worth the doubled cost and long wait, as they look forward to being able to attend more shows locally.
A free-to-public Rā a Whānau (Whānau Open Day) was held at the centre on Saturday with performances, workshops and live music.
It came just after the second Sir Howard Morrison Centre gala show was cancelled shortly after doors were due to open on Friday night due to “significant technical difficulties”.
Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post at the Whānau Day, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said she was “really humbled” to see the centre “come back to life”.
“It’s been a historically significant building for Rotorua and our community, so that five years did feel like a long time.
“To be here as mayor to re-open the building and get our community back through the doors is a real privilege.”
Tapsell said closing the building in 2017 had been a “heartbreaking decision” and was “equally heartbreaking” for the community.
The forecasted final cost of restoring the Sir Howard Morrison Centre was $36.5 million - more than double its original budget set in 2017 of $17.9m.
Tapsell said the cost required to “get it back up to scratch and looking good for the community” was “significantly more” than originally anticipated.
However, “this building is now a quality facility that will be here for the next few generations of performers”, Tapsell said.
Tapsell said Sir Howard Morrison was one of Rotorua’s “iconic performers”.
“To know that his name is on this building - we will be able to continue to grow and promote the talent in Rotorua. I think it’s a great honour for his service to the performing arts as well.”
On Friday night’s gala show cancellation, Tapsell said there were some “significant technical difficulties” that compromised the lighting and sound and its technical team did everything “they humanly could”.
“Unfortunately, it was not something that was able to be resolved, so the tough call was made at the last minute that we simply couldn’t allow our performers and our audience to receive a performance that wouldn’t be up to the standard that we’d expect.”
She said the team was “devastated” to cancel.
“It’s unprecedented and we don’t expect that to ever happen again.”
The council was investigating further and would find a solution “as soon as possible”.
However, she said it was “fantastic” the Whānau Day could still go ahead.
“It’s fantastic to see so many families down here being able to explore the facility in person themselves, and a great opportunity for our local performers.”
The Rotorua Daily Post spoke to attendees at the Whānau Day.
Central Rotorua resident Trevor Dowdney said he was “very impressed” with the centre, particularly the layout and the improvement it brought to the town.
“They needed a facility like this,” the 91-year-old said.
“It can only bring people, tourists - it’s a great attraction. And it’s comparable with overseas.”
Dowdney also commented on the final cost of the centre’s restoration.
“In 20 years’ time, everybody’s going to say, ‘They were lucky to have that done so cheaply’.
“At the time it might sound expensive, but that’s inflation.”
Victoria resident Sheila Evans, 97, said she was looking forward to going to shows locally rather than travelling to Auckland or Hamilton.
“It will be wonderful that we’ll be able to have overseas performers. It hasn’t been possible for a long time.”
Evans said she used to go to the centre before it was closed to see a cabaret which was “very popular”.
“It’s a beautiful building and it’s very well-appointed, I’m sure.”
Western Heights resident Maria Pinga, 42, went to Whānau Day as her 15-year-old daughter was performing with the Western Heights High School hip-hop group.
She said the centre was “amazing”.
“It’s taken a while, but I think it’s everything that we waited for.
“I’m hoping that more shows will bring in more people and just really show off the culture that we have here in Rotorua.”
Ōwhata resident Yvonne Waitoa, 55, said she went to Whānau Day because her mokopuna were singing.
She said the centre was “wonderful” and felt “warming”.
Mangakakahi resident Adam Barrett, 30, said he never had the opportunity to go to the original centre as he had only lived in Rotorua for four and a half years, but thought it was “really cool”.
Sir Howard Morrison Centre performing arts programme delivery manager Hinerongonui Kingi said the day had been “very successful”.
“It was just really cool to see all the people, the theatre, and [them] enjoying themselves.”
The Rotorua Lakes Council issued a media statement after 7.30pm on Friday saying it regretted to inform ticketholders the show had to be cancelled due to technical issues beyond its control.
“This is a new building and new systems and we have experienced an unknown issue which we are working to resolve as quickly as possible. This issue has directly impacted the lighting and sound equipment,” the statement said.
“We understand this is very, very short notice, but we will not be able to deliver the quality of show that this venue, performers and audience deserve.”
In a further statement on Friday night, the council said its technical team had been working overtime to undertake system and quality assurance checks and an investigation was under way following the unforeseen circumstances of technical issues.
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