Live Nation venue manager Michael Gilling, right, with managing director Mark Kneebone
Just before the curtain lifted on To The Stars / Ki Ngā Whetū – the three-day showcase that would officially open the Waikato Regional Theatre in Hamilton last week – Michael Gilling shed a tear.
Live Nation venue manager Michael Gilling, right, with managing director Mark Kneebone during a tour of the theatre. Photo: Michael Jeans.
“Little watery eye, yeah,” he said of the occasion after years of planning, construction and countless walk-throughs. The theatre was finally alive: performers ready, lights blazing, an audience waiting to celebrate the region’s creativity.
“It was great to see,” said Gilling, who lives in Te Awamutu and is Live Nation’s venue manager for the $80 million theatre.
To The Stars / Ki Ngā Whetū – the three-day showcase. Photo: Caroline Gill
The theatre, sponsored by the BNZ, is a masterpiece – a space that marries modern elegance with nods to Waikato’s cultural heritage and rooted in community spirit.
Te Awamutu News 29 January 2026
It stands on the site of the former Hamilton Hotel in Victoria Street, where Queen Elizabeth II stayed in December 1953. That land was gifted in 2017 by Mitch and Kate Plaw – Waipā-based founders of Vantage Aluminium and Takapoto Estate – to philanthropic organisation Momentum Waikato in 2017.
Without their generosity the theatre with its historic hotel façade in place would not have happened, said Gilling.
For him that tear was more than emotion – it was the culmination of decades devoted to the arts – and the theatre’s story.
Born in Auckland but raised in the Waikato, he has become a cornerstone of the region’s performing arts scene.
His journey has led from community stages to managing some of Hamilton’s most iconic venues, and ultimately to this role as venue manager.
Gilling’s career started at Hamilton City Council, where he spent 33 years overseeing Waikato Stadium, Seddon Park, Founders Theatre and Claudelands Event Centre.
He loves theatre for its versatility, saying it offers “such a wide range of entertainment.”
The new Waikato Regional Theatre on the second night. Photo: Caroline Gill
His passion isn’t just for the big shows – it’s for the people who fill the seats and step onto the stage. He is determined the theatre will belong to the community as much as to international acts.
“We’re giving a 40 per cent discount for non-profits within the Waikato region,” he said.
“It’s not just about bringing the shows, it’s also building the local community – from high school kids to amateur theatre.”
The new Waikato Regional Theatre facing Waikato River.
A community fund, supported by ticket sales, will help grassroots groups afford the space.
“There’s nothing that we wouldn’t want. I’m a theatrical person. I’d take anything.”
From a Royal New Zealand Ballet performance to a school prizegiving, Gilling wants every child in the Waikato to stand on the same stage as the world’s best. And if Les Misérables comes calling?
“I’d love to see that here,” he said.
Far from competing with smaller Waipā venues like Cambridge Town Hall or Te Awamutu Little Theatre, Gilling sees collaboration as essential.
Simon Brew general manager Cambridge Town Hall
“There’s a need for us all. We look after each other,” he said, noting the strong ties with local managers and performers – many of whom, including Cambridge Town Hall’s general manager Simon Brew, graced the stage during the opening celebrations.
Colleagues describe Gilling as passionate and deeply connected to the arts community.
“He’s got a very close connection to performing arts in Hamilton,” said Sean Murray, the council’s general manager of venues, tourism and major events.
“He’s also the guy that deals with international acts and performances. And if you look at some of the work he’s done at Claudelands, he’s dealt with some very, very big shows and very big events.”
Gilling speaks like he is in his dream job.
If that tear before the curtain rose was any indication, Waikato’s newest stage is set for decades of unforgettable performances.
Night two of the three-day showcase – To The Stars / Ki Ngā Whetū. Photo: Caroline Gill
The three-day showcase – To The Stars / Ki Ngā Whetū in the new Waikato Regional Theatre. Photo: Caroline Gill
