The Aotea – Te Pokapū | Aotea Centre’s ASB Theatre has been renamed Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre as a tribute to one of the world’s greatest sopranos on 20 November 2019.
A gala concert marked the occasion with the legendary soprano and New Zealand’s first Grammy Award winner, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, as the guest of honour on the day at the Aotea – Te Pokapū | Aotea Centre.
Formerly the ASB Theatre, the naming rights were gifted by the ASB Bank to honour one of its longest and most successful associates and an acclaimed ambassador for the arts.
The Aotea – Te Pokapū | Aotea Centre was officially opened by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in September 1990, unveiling a 1.6m bronze sculpture of herself by Terry Stringer that still graces the foyer today.
Located in the Aotea Arts Precinct, the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre is New Zealand’s largest tiered auditorium with seating for more than 2,100 people.
