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| Former names | Queens Wharf Events Centre(1995–2006) |
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| Address | 4 Queens Wharf Wellington 6011,New Zealand |
| Location | Wellington Central |
| Coordinates | 41°17′8″S174°46′44″E / 41.28556°S 174.77889°E /-41.28556; 174.77889 |
| Owner | Wellington City Council |
| Operator | Venues Wellington |
| Capacity | 5,655 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1995 |
| Expanded | 2005 |
| Architect | Craig, Craig & Moller |
| Tenants | |
| Wellington Saints(NBL) (1995–present) Central Pulse(ANZ) (2008–present) Richter City Roller Derby(WFTDA) (2009–present) | |
| Website | |
| https://www.venueswellington.com/venues/tsb-bank-arena-and-auditorium-shed-6/ | |
TheTSB Arena (formerly known as theQueens Wharf Events Centre and thenTSB Bank Arena[1]) is anindoor arena inWellington, hosting basketball games, roller derby, music concerts, conventions and exhibitions.
In the 1990s Lambton Harbour Management, a company controlled by Wellington City Council, was involved in developing Queens Wharf as an entertainment area. Two large buildings, Queens Wharf Retail Centre and Queens Wharf Events Centre, were officially opened bySir Peter Blake on 18 November 1995.[2] The buildings were designed by the architect to look like wharf sheds, but were criticised for being out of scale with other waterfront buildings.[3] Lobby group Waterfront Watch described the events centre as "a monstrous eyesore resembling a Soviet ablution block".[4][2] The retail centre was an immediate failure, and the building was sold in 1998 to be converted into office space.[5] The events centre continued to operate, and in 2006 was renamed the TSB Bank Arena afterTSB Bank bought the naming rights for an eight-year period.[6]
When it was opened the events centre had capacity for between 3500 and 4000 spectators.[4][2] There was seating on the ground floor and on a mezzanine floor, and all the seats were retractable.[2] The main hall had a sprung wooden floor.[2]
In 2002, then mayorKerry Prendergast suggested that the events centre be converted into a convention centre,[3] but in 2005 the number of seats was increased to 4,570 as part of a redevelopment and expansion plan. Further upgrades took place in 2014.[7]
In a newspaper article in April 2007, theWellington Architectural Centre rated TSB Arena as Wellington's second worst building (after New World Chaffers), saying it was inward-looking, unengaging and "awful" for its prime waterfront location. The architect responded:
Our original design was for a much lower-scale building with active edges for shops, restaurants and marine-related activities. During the development phase by the client the brief changed to include much larger and inward-looking facilities. The size and nature of the building grew dramatically, despite vigorous advocacy by us for the original design and scale. It went ahead in that form and proved to me how in the early 1990s, aggressive commercial attitudes resulted in questionable outcomes.[8]
In July 2011 Venues Wellington (trading as Positively Wellington Venues), an organisation created from a merger of the St James Theatre Charitable Trust and the Wellington Convention Centre and controlled by Wellington City Council, began managing the arena along with five other venues in the city.[9][10]
The arena hostsbasketball games and is the home arena for the Century City Saints and part-time home arena of theNew Zealand Breakers when they play in Wellington. It was also the home arena for theRichter City Roller Derby, which started to play here in the middle of their 2009 season.[11] It hosts expositions and conventions such as the Armageddon Pulp Expo and the DCM Book Fair. In 2005, the annualWorld of Wearable Art Awards (WOW) show moved from Nelson to Wellington, to the TSB Arena.[12][13] In 2007 the firstMāori Art Market was held in the arena before moving to the suburbanTe Rauparaha Arena inPorirua City.[14][15]
The arena also operates as a music venue, but does not have idealacoustics and professionalsound treatment; for example, the retractable stadium traps all reflections (early and late) also acting as abass trap (wanted or unwanted), thus impairing a clearsound.[16][17]Liam Gallagher of the bandOasis complained bitterly about the sound quality while performing at the venue in 1998.[18] As a smaller live venue, TSB Arena is still able attract overseas acts.[13]
Positively Wellington Tourism chief executive David Perks said [...] "It has a lot to do with sound quality and seating arrangements. My understanding is that TSB [Arena] is the wrong shape, and elevation, and all of these things. TSB has always been something of a compromise between a concert hall, a sporting venue and a conference space."
Its acoustics are appalling and many people, myself included, now refuse to go to shows there, having been disappointed in the past. It's fine as a sports arena or exhibition hall, which was its design purpose, but it's basically a tin shed and the music bounces around, creating a cacophony of indecipherable sound.
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