Auckland's Viaduct Events Centre officially reopens

The Viaduct Events Centre, one of Auckland, New Zealand’s premier waterfront venues, is once again ready for business following a whakawatea (to clear) blessing led by Nga.ti Whatua Orakei to mark its reopening for the first time since 2018. Tataki Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill said: “Auckland is proud to open the doors once again to this landmark building and offer it as one of our unique world-class venues available to hire. “This hasn’t happened overnight so thanks to the hard work of the team at Auckland Live and Conventions and the wider Tataki Auckland Unlimited whanau, we are able to expand the portfolio of venues ready to welcome a range of events.” The VEC is a 6,000sqm space that spans three levels, with eight separate rooms able to host a range of events, including exhibitions, gala dinners, and conferences. It hosts central Auckland’s largest banquet space with capacity for up to 1,200 guests. The building has easy access to five-star accommodation, world-class hospitality and a central transport hub. Since first opening in 2011, the VEC has hosted major events, including New Zealand Fashion Week, New Zealand Design Awards, and numerous corporate functions, dinners and conferences. For the past four years the Viaduct Events Centre has been home to Team New Zealand winners of the 36th America’s Cup, and prior to 2018 was one of Auckland’’ most economically viable venues for the region. There are a total of 117 events planned for the 2023/2024 financial year, estimated to be worth NZ$3m to the economy.