CBD’s transform as live, work and play districts

Bricks and mortar retail is no longer the main reason to go into the CBD’s of Hastings, Havelock North and Napier. The continued growth of online shopping is reshaping our CBD’s to be the heart of our cities as a broader mix of living, working and play areas. Councils and private developers such as Wallace […]

Hawke’s Bay as a Film Friendly Destination

Building Connections, Capturing Projects and Creating Local Stories Hawke’s Bay is an ideal location for all things screen. It has some of the most unfilmed locations, great wine and food, high sunshine hours and all is located in a reasonable distance from each other. It seems hard to believe that filming has not continued to […]

Connectivity wins the 2023 Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award

Artist Ricks Terstappen from Hawke’s Bay has won the top prize in this year’s Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award for his artwork “Connectivity” in the awards ceremony held last night at ArtsPost Galleries & Shop in Hamilton Kirikiriroa. The above image is of judge and sculptor Hannah Kidd with the winning entry by artist […]

‘Muni’ awakens with metro city vibe

The doors shut to Hutchinson’s eight years ago, as well as the Municipal Building and beloved Assembly Hall, due to the building being earthquake prone. Now the Municipal Building (‘Muni’) is springing back to life as part of the overall Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre rebuild project that began in 2016, costing over $45 million. The ground floor has […]

Exciting new tenants ready for Municipal Building re-opening

Hastings city centre is set to become an even bigger ‘hot spot’ with Hastings District Council announcing an exciting list of new businesses for the soon-to-re-open Municipal Building on Heretaunga Street. The Municipal Building has been closed since 2014, undergoing significant earthquake strengthening and restoration work. Undoubtedly one of Hastings’ most iconic buildings, the Municipal […]

Hawke’s Bay artist opens his first solo exhibition

His slogan is Hone because he continually strives to become a better artist, honing his skills. Glen Colechin took a huge step in that direction on Friday, opening his first solo exhibition at Creative Arts Napier (CAN). “I’m really excited about my first solo exhibition,” Colechin said. “I feel as if I have come full […]

Toitoi manager wins national leadership award

Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre kaiwhakahaere (manager) Megan Peacock-Coyle has won a national event industry leadership award, in recognition of her efforts leading Toitoi and its staff through COVID-19 and its ongoing effects this year. Held at Claudelands in Hamilton last week, the annual Events Venues Association of New Zealand (EVANZ) Awards […]

MTG’s exhibition Turuturu: Fingers, Feathers & Fibre wins Resene Award

An exhibition showcasing the breadth of woven Taonga in our regional museum has won the Installation category at the Resene Total Colour Awards. “In Turuturu: Fingers, Feathers & Fibre colour and design were used to provide deeper meaning and context to the Taonga on display taking inspiration from the harakeke (flax) plant, the woven structure […]

Top architecture award for Hawke’s Bay Opera House

The Hawke’s Bay Opera House is the heart of Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre in Hastings and its spectacular facelift has earned it this year’s NZ Institute of Architects Heritage award. The landmark 1915 building that was refurbished and sensitively restored under the direction of Dave Pearson Architects, attracted much praise from […]