A meeting on digital preservation and
another on sedimentary rocks will be amongst the first international conferences
taking place at Tākina - New Zealand’s newest conference and exhibition centre.
The Wellington venue opened this week, three-and-a-half
years after building work started, with a morning blessing by Taranaki Whānui,
the traditional Māori guardians of the Wellington Harbour and associated lands.
Wellington Mayor
Tory Whanau said the opening of Tākina was a ‘transformational’ step for the
city. More than 50 multi-day conferences are scheduled to be held this year.
“As capital of
New Zealand, the Tākina Convention and Exhibition Centre is an important asset
for the city. In its first year it’s expected to attract around half a million
international and domestic visitors through its family-friendly exhibitions and
world class conferencing facilities,” he said. “Tākina is designed as a place
where we can share stories of the nation with the world, and where the world
can share its stories with us.”
The first event,
the Festival for the Future, takes place next week (8-9 June). International
conferences already booked include: The Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases
Conference in 2024; Royal Australian and New Zealand
College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) in 2024; iPRES
2025 - International Conference on Digital Preservation in 2025; and International Sedimentological Congress in 2026.
Situated in
Wellington’s cultural precinct, opposite the waterfront, Tākina is expected to create
372 jobs and add NZ$45m a year to the city in tourism receipts.
Tākina
incorporates 10,000sqm of conferencing space over two levels, with
capacity for plenaries up to 1,600. The ground floor exhibition gallery, at
1,280sqm, is the largest in New Zealand.
David Perks, general manager Tākina Commercial Development for Wellington City Council, said Tākina would
increase Wellington’s ‘opportunity to host international conferences at a scale
the city has not previously been able to’.
Tākina 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.
Tākina Events
spokesperson, Jake Downing added: “Tākina will offer cutting-edge technology,
flexible function space and world-class cuisine. With our convention centre and
our national museum in such close proximity, it creates exciting spaces and
opportunities for events.”
The Māori meaning of Tākina
is to encounter and invoke, to connect and to bring forth. The name was gifted
to the centre by Taranaki Whānui to recognise the venue’s role in the sharing
of knowledge.
Designed by Studio Pacific Architecture, Tākina is the
first convention centre in New Zealand to receive 5-Star Green Star Design
certification.
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
