Zeal Taranaki

Zeal Taranaki is a youth centre and creative space at 69 Devon Street West in central New Plymouth, housed in the Mayfair building. It is part of Zeal, a nationwide organisation running youth centres, creative programmes, support and mentoring. Alongside its youth work, Zeal hires out its spaces to the public, and hire income supports the centre's programmes.

Spaces available

Zeal Taranaki offers several distinct areas, which can be hired individually or as a full venue:

• Auditorium — seats 200, and is the main space for gigs, performances and larger functions
• Front bar — a smaller area complete with a coffee machine
• Café area — a relaxed space suited to smaller gatherings and café-style gigs
• Dance and rehearsal space — a dedicated room used for classes and rehearsals

Zeal lists both full venue hire and café gig hire as separate options.

Technical and event support

The venue has on-site sound and lighting equipment available for hirers to use, and a lighting or sound technician can be requested through the booking form. That is a genuine advantage over most community halls, which usually require organisers to bring in production.

Booking terms

All hires pay a $200 deposit, which is non-refundable if the hirer cancels. Bookings are made through the venue hire form on the Zeal website, or by phone on 0800 346 393.

Suitability for meetings and functions

With a 200-seat auditorium, in-house AV and a central Devon Street West address, Zeal Taranaki is a workable option for conference sessions, presentations, staff functions, launches and community events as well as live music. The centre itself points to the venue as suitable for work functions. Organisers should note it is first and foremost a youth centre — free after-school sessions run Tuesday to Friday from 3.30pm to 5.30pm during term, so daytime and evening availability will need to be confirmed around the programme calendar.

For other options in the area, see New Plymouth venues.