NEW ZEALAND: When a new performing arts venue opens its doors, expectations are unforgiving. Artistic ambition, technical precision and long-term operational flexibility must align seamlessly—and at the newly unveiled BNZ Theatre that alignment has been delivered with confidence, clarity and control.

Located in Hamilton and formerly known as the Waikato Regional Theatre, the 1,300-seat venue enters its next chapter following a five-year naming-rights partnership with Bank of New Zealand, in collaboration with Live Nation New Zealand. Designed to host everything from large-scale concerts and touring productions to ballet, opera and community ceremonies, the theatre demanded a lighting system capable of responding to vastly different creative and operational requirements.

Waikato’s leading production equipment supplier ACLX was appointed to provide technical consultancy and equipment solutions, with Managing Director Aaron Chesham quickly identifying Robert Juliat followspots and MA Lighting control as the optimal foundation for the venue – all supplied by Show Technology Australia & New Zealand.

At the heart of the followspot specification are two Robert Juliat Tristan high-output 825W cool-white LED followspots. With a 7°–14.5° zoom range and a compact footprint ideally suited to mid-throw theatrical environments, Tristan delivers performance comparable to traditional 1800W MSR followspots—without the operational drawbacks.

“The two Tristans will serve them better over a long period of time,” said Chesham. “A nice sharp focus in a small size is pretty much what they’re running with. However, they can apply the frost on top of that sharp focus to achieve a very nice soft focus with no fiddling around. Tristan’s CTO is perfect for a theatre—it really feels like a warm tungsten.”

Ease of use was equally critical. With volunteer operators initially staffing the followspot positions, the Tristan’s ergonomic design proved decisive. “The dimmer, pan and tilt features allow smooth one-handed operation,” Chesham added. “The electronic iris is an amazing feature—it offers smoother control, adjustable scaling, max limits, and direct console operation.”

For lighting control, the choice was unequivocal. With MA systems firmly entrenched across the region, the venue adopted the grandMA3 light console. “Every big venue in Waikato has an MA for control,” noted Chesham. “We have them in our hire inventory, the arena has them—it’s solid, familiar and provides excellent redundancy.”

Opening night performances reinforced the venue’s technical credentials, with Māori soul artist TEEKS headlining the public debut on January 23, followed by New Zealand icons Sir Dave Dobbyn and Bic Runga, and international pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

To further enhance the opening concert lighting package, ACLX supplied six Prolights Astra Hybrid330IP fixtures—recently added to its hire inventory. Compact, IP-rated and visually powerful, the fixtures replaced long-serving Martin MH7 units while significantly expanding outdoor and hybrid event capability.

“We needed an IP-rated fixture for the outdoor work we do,” explained Chesham. “Despite its size, the Astra Hybrid330IP delivers impressive power, strong effects, useful animation and zoom, and very accurate colour. They’re bright—and they perform.”

So impressed was Chesham with the fixtures’ performance that plans are already underway to double the inventory.

With a lighting infrastructure built around proven performance, intuitive operation and future scalability, BNZ Theatre enters New Zealand’s cultural landscape not just as a new venue—but as a technically confident one, equipped to meet the demands of artists, designers and audiences alike for years to come.