A planner's guide to Wellington conference and event venues, from Tākina and the TSB Arena to Te Papa, theatres and conference hotels.
Wellington packs a national convention centre, Parliament, Te Papa and a walkable harbour CBD into a few compact blocks, which makes it one of the easiest cities in New Zealand to run a conference: delegates can move between venue, hotel and dinner on foot. MICE currently lists 73 Wellington-region conference venues, hotels and event spaces, from purpose-built centres to theatres, museums and conference hotels.
### Purpose-built convention and exhibition centres
Wellington's flagship is Tākina (the Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre) opposite Te Papa, backed by the TSB Arena & Auditorium (Shed 6) on the waterfront and the Michael Fowler Centre for large plenaries and gala concerts. Together they cover everything from trade exhibitions to plenary sessions in the thousands.
### Museums, theatres and character venues
Wellington's culture is its edge. MICE lists the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa for receptions and conference functions, the St James Theatre and The Opera House for plenary-and-performance formats, the heritage Public Trust Hall, the waterfront Wharewaka Function Centre (Te Raukura) and Wellington Museum for dinners and cocktail events.
### Conference hotels
For delegates who want rooms and meeting space together, MICE lists Wellington conference hotels including the InterContinental Wellington (236 rooms), Rydges Wellington (280), QT Wellington (179), Naumi Hotels Wellington (178), Sofitel Wellington, Bolton Hotel, Mövenpick Hotel Wellington and the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, most within walking distance of the convention precinct.
### Beyond the city
The wider region adds options such as the Lower Hutt Events Centre, Te Rauparaha Arena and racing and stadium function spaces for larger community-scale or offsite events.
### Build the rest of your event
Once you have a room, MICE connects the rest in one place: browse event caterers and equipment hire, team-building and group activities around the harbour and wineries, and delegate transport for airport transfers and offsite runs. You can also compare rooms by delegate numbers on the capacities view.
Every Wellington listing on MICE links to the operator's own details, so you can shortlist, check capacities and make contact directly.
Tākina, the Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre opposite Te Papa, is the city's flagship purpose-built venue, supported by the TSB Arena & Auditorium (Shed 6) and the Michael Fowler Centre for larger plenaries and exhibitions.
Yes. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is listed on MICE as an event venue and is popular for conference receptions, dinners and cocktail functions on the waterfront.
MICE lists conference hotels including Rydges Wellington (280 rooms), the InterContinental Wellington (236 rooms), QT Wellington, Naumi Hotels Wellington and the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, most within walking distance of the convention precinct.
MICE currently lists 73 Wellington-region conference venues, hotels and event spaces, spanning convention centres, theatres, museums, function centres and conference hotels.
Yes. The convention centre, Te Papa, theatres, hotels and dining are concentrated around the harbour CBD, so delegates can usually move between venue, accommodation and evening functions on foot.
Wellington's conference hotels with 100 or more rooms, ranked by room count, for meetings in the compact capital.
Wellington venues that can seat 700 or more guests for a gala or banquet, ranked by banquet capacity.
Cooking classes, cocktail masterclasses and food tours for corporate teams in Wellington, with the operators listed on MICE.
The Meteorological Society of New Zealand holds its 2026 Annual Conference on 25-27 November 2026 at Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn campus, themed 'Connecting Weather, Climate and Earth Systems', with the Society's 47th AGM run alongside it.
EMDRNZ, the governing body for EMDR therapy in New Zealand, holds its annual clinical conference across 26-28 November 2026 at Te Papa in Wellington, built around a consultants' training day, a Dr Tom Flewett workshop on developmental-trauma presentations, and a full Conference Day.
The Indigenous Tech Summit 2026, billed as Aotearoa's first, runs 26-27 November 2026 at Takina in Wellington, hosted by Te Hapori Matihiko, bringing Maori and global Indigenous tech communities together around AI, data sovereignty and enterprise.