Te Ahu Centre

Te Ahu is the civic and community centre for Kaitaia and the wider Far North, on the corner of Mathews Avenue and South Road (SH1). It is a multi-functional complex rather than a single-purpose conference centre: under one roof it brings together the district library, Te Ahu Museum and archives, the i-SITE visitor information centre, Far North District Council customer services, a cafe, a cinema and a range of hireable event spaces.

Spaces for hire

All of the hire venues sit on the ground floor, which makes the building straightforward for delegates with mobility needs and simple for loading in equipment.

• Main Hall — the largest space, measuring 27m long by 17.5m wide with a 5.3m stud height. It has a fixed stage plus a stage extension, and comes with chairs and 60 trestle tables. Maximum capacity is 600, with around 400 seated comfortably.
• Banquet Room — air conditioned, 13.5m long by 9m wide excluding the bar area. Maximum capacity 240, or about 100 comfortably seated.
• Atrium — a light-filled circulation and function space used for weddings, concerts, presentations and smaller gatherings, with capacity up to 150. It has feature lighting, multiple power outlets and an upright piano.
• Little Theatre — fixed seating for 110, with the flat floor area immediately in front of the stage able to take additional seating or accommodate wheelchairs and walking frames. It can be hired together with the adjoining kiosk, from which tickets and food can be sold.
• Meeting rooms — including a small meeting room with a table and six chairs, air conditioned and without direct sunlight, served by a shared kitchenette with dishwasher, microwave and hot water zip. A separate library meeting room is also available.
• Art Space — three wall spaces along the corridor linking the Atrium to the other hire venues, used for exhibiting and selling artwork.

Meeting and event capability

The range of rooms means a single event can scale across the building: a plenary in the Main Hall, breakouts in the meeting rooms, catering or a function in the Banquet Room, and registration or an exhibition in the Atrium and Art Space. The bar area attached to the Banquet Room supports evening functions, and the Little Theatre suits presentations, film screenings, awards and AGMs where tiered sightlines matter. An on-site cafe operates within the complex.

Background

Te Ahu opened in 2013, replacing a scattered set of community facilities — the old i-SITE, museum, council service centre and Melba Street library — with one consolidated building. The project was driven by the Te Ahu Charitable Trust, formalised in 2007, and the roughly $14 million complex was officially opened by the Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, at a ceremony acknowledging the district's Maori, Pakeha and Dalmatian heritage.

Suitability

Te Ahu is the main indoor venue of scale in Kaitaia and a practical base for conferences, community and iwi hui, trade and consumer expos, awards dinners, training days and touring performances serving the Far North. Its position on SH1 makes it an obvious meeting point for delegates travelling from across the north, and the co-located i-SITE is useful for organisers building incentive or partner programmes around Cape Reinga, Ninety Mile Beach and the Hokianga. See more Northland venues.