02 December 2014
Claudelands claims two major venue industry awards

Hamilton’s Claudelands claimed two major awards at the Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand(EVANZ) Awards in Dunedin last night.
Claudelands won the Supreme Venue of the Year Award, and Large Venue of the Year category, celebrating venues of 5000 seats or larger.
The awards recognise excellence in the New Zealand entertainment venue industry.
The venue - operated by Hamilton City Council’s H3 group – won the Large Venue of the Year Award ahead of other finalists Christchurch’s Horncastle Arena, Wellington’s TSB Arena/Shed 6 and Auckland’s Western Springs.
In winning the Supreme Venue of the Year Award, Claudelands was chosen ahead of category winners Regent Theatre (Medium Venue of the Year) and Q Theatre Auckland (Small Venue of the Year).
Murray Jeffrey, H3’s Director of Business Development and Marketing says the awards are great recognition for Claudelands and the wider region.
“These awards confirm Hamilton’s position as one of New Zealand’s major business and events destinations. The EVANZ Awards recognise the whole team at H3 who promote and deliver on our promise to our customers. Special thanks also go to the managers of Claudelands, Claire Toko and Andy Boulton.”
Mr Jeffrey says: “This level of recognition is something we have been striving for since we first opened the doors to Claudelands three years ago”.
“During this time we’ve worked extremely hard to prove ourselves as a venue of international quality, across a range of areas including music, sporting and entertainment events, conferences, exhibitions and private functions,” he says.
Hamilton City Council Chief Executive Richard Briggs says the facility and the team operating it are among the city’s foremost assets: “Hamiltonians should be proud to have this great facility in our city.”
Since opening in June 2011 Claudelands has become one of New Zealand’s leading conference and exhibition centres, and entertainment arenas. High-profile arena events held at Claudelands this year have included Bob Dylan, Billy Connolly and Disney On Ice. In 2015, the venue will host performances by Kenny Rogers, Slash, Eddie Izzard and Ricky Martin.
Latest News

25 June 2025
Stars set to descend on Seddon Park this summer
Four heavyweights taking on the BLACKCAPS; ICC T20 World Cup selections on the line, the WHITE FERNS squaring off against Zimbabwe and South Africa - these are some of the…

06 May 2025
Claudelands to host new era for New Zealand’s largest Homegrown music festival
In a heartfelt and historic move, Jim Beam Homegrown is returning to its origins after 18 incredible years of celebrating Kiwi music and culture.

13 March 2025
Eventing the Future 2025 heads to Hamilton!
The New Zealand Events Association (NZEA) is thrilled to announce that their annual Eventing the Future Conference will take place at Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton from 1–3 September 2025.