Wellington City Council funds revitalisation of Newtown's Community and Cultural Centre

Wellington City Council has funded the recent major upgrades to Newtown's Community and Cultural Centre facilities making it more accessible and comfortable for all to use.

The upgrades include a new dance hall for yoga classes, a multi-use art room and new technology funded by Lotteries Communities Facilities to make the theatre more accessible.

The upgraded Newtown Community and Cultural Centre encompasses all the personality of Newtown – quintessentially quirky, retro, and full of life.

Right in the centre of the suburb, this heritage listed building has been a key part of the community since 1977.

Kaiwhakahaere/Manager Eryn Gribble has been working for the Newtown Community Centre trust for the last seven years and worked through various stages of the project.

Consultations within the suburb gave people the opportunity to speak up about what they wanted to see, and Gribble believes you can see their vision coming through in the upgrade.

Gribble shared “we took the designs to the community and heard what they wanted to see. A lot of people voiced their concerns about the character leaving the building, so we wanted to keep elements through the quirky lounge décor and the eclectic vibe.”

Living in Newtown herself, she thinks that the changes to the centre will be wonderful for a wide range of people to enjoy based on the variety of spaces available.

The centre also has tenants like the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Wellington Time Bank, where people can share their skills and knowledge in exchange for time credits instead of money. The centre has also been upgraded to be more accessible, with wider doors and an elevator, and all gendered toilets.

Gribble adds “for a long time, our theatre has been running as kind of a stripped back black box, where the odd group would bring in lights to plug in themselves. We always had the vision that our community deserves a facility that comes with everything our local theatre producers, musicians and creatives need, alongside those that are holding meetings and having celebrations. We now have a touch panel on the wall that anyone can use to change the lighting, sound, operate the projector and play music. It saves so much time and anyone can get full use out of the system without having technical know-how.”

The upgraded centre reopened in May.

Image top: Newtown Community and Cultural Centre exterior and above the theatre Credit City of Wellington/ Antonio Hernandez