Tākina officially opens in Wellington

The morning blessing by Taranaki Whānui

Wellington has officially opened its new conference and exhibition centre, Tākina, with more than 50 multi-day conferences already booked for the first year.

The venue in New Zealand’s capital city was officially opened with a morning blessing by Taranaki Whānui, the traditional Māori guardians of the Wellington Harbour and associated lands.

The morning blessing by Taranaki Whānui

Later that evening, there was a celebration which was attended by more than 700 guests including mana whenua (local Māori), dignitaries, key stakeholders and clients, who were treated to entertainment by WearableArt (WOW), Connections Pasifika Choir, and Ngati Poneke Young Māori Club.

The first official event, the Festival for the Future, takes place on June 8-9, 2023, while the first public exhibition taking place at Tākina is Jurassic World by Brickman, which will run from June 3 to Oct 16, 2023.

Located in the heart of the capital’s cultural precinct, opposite Wellington’s waterfront, Tākina is expected to have huge positive flow-on effects for the city’s hospitality, accommodation, and retail businesses, providing 372 direct jobs and NZ$45 million (US$27.2 million) a year in estimated economic impact to Wellington.

David Perks, general manager of Tākina Commercial Development for Wellington City Council, said: “Tākina will increase Wellington’s opportunity to host international conferences at a scale the city has not previously been able to.”

Tākina incorporates 10,000m2 of flexible conferencing space over two levels, with capacity for plenaries up to 1,600. The ground floor exhibition gallery, at 1,280m2, is the largest in New Zealand.

It is owned by the Wellington City Council and operated by local team Tākina Events, which manages the event spaces of both Tākina and neighbouring national museum Te Papa Tongarewa.

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