Te Whaea in Newtown,

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, is the New Zealand National Dance and Drama Centre, the home to the

New Zealand School of Dance The New Zealand School of Dance was established in 1967 and is a tertiary educational institute in New Zealand that teaches Contemporary dance, contemporary dance and ballet. It started as the National School of Ballet, and after contemporary da ...

and Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. The name 'Te Whaea' means 'the mother' in the Māori language. Te Whaea was opened in 1998 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023. The building was constructed by the Wellington Show Association in 1928 and was originally known as the Winter Show Building. It was used for the annual Winter Show, fairs and exhibitions. The last Winter Show was in 1993; by 1997 the building was in a state of disrepair. In 1997, Wellington City Council leased the deteriorating building to the national drama school

Toi Whakaari Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand's national drama school. It was established in 1970 and is located in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre. Toi Whakaari offers training in acting, costume constru ...

and the

, which had both been looking for new space. The council also guaranteed a loan of $1 million to the dance and drama schools to renovate the building. The two schools came together at the renovated Winter Show Building as a national performing arts centre, named Te Whaea, which opened for classes after a dawn ceremony on 28 April 1998. An official opening ceremony was held on 26 June 1998. Refurbishment of the building included nine large and four small studios, a 200-seat theatre, a library, and areas for set construction, sound, lighting and costume. Te Whaea is used by many cultural groups in the city. It is the venue for a number of reoccurring events including national dance training for all ages and the ETNZ conference every two years.

References

External links

Te Whaea
Buildings and structures in Wellington City Entertainment venues in New Zealand Performing arts venues in New Zealand {{dance-stub