1. Tākina convention centre sits across three levels and is purpose-built for international and local conferences, with capacity for up to 1,600 attendees.
2. The Convention Centre will be operated by Te Papa, bringing together two world-class venues, operated by one local, experienced team under the brand 'Tākina Events' in the heart of New Zealand’s capital.
3. Tākina Exhibition Centre will bring global exhibitions to Wellington (and New Zealand) that have not been able to be hosted here before. These exhibitions will be operated by the Council, with support from Te Papa.
4. Tākina will also have a cafe on the ground floor offering the best of Wellington’s cuisine – a place to meet, relax and enjoy the building from.
5. Tākina will open in June 2023 and will be host to a variety of events and world class conferences and exhibitions.
6. Located at 50 Cable Street, Te Aro, Tākina is in the heart of Wellington directly opposite Te Papa, only a two-minute walk to the waterfront!
7. Sustainability was forefront in the design process for Tākina, with the centre projected to use 60% less energy and emit 66% less carbon emissions than buildings of a similar size and function.
8. The design efforts of Tākina achieved the country’s first five-star NZGBC Green Star Design rating for a Convention Centre. This is a huge achievement, and is in line with New Zealand’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2050.
9. The Convention Centre opens a new realm of possibilities for conference hosting in Wellington, with 18,000 square metres of space spanning all three floors.
10. Tākina has 100 conferences and events already in the calendar from opening through to the end of 2026.
11. The average number of delegates across these events is 500, a massive jump from the average of 181 at events held pre-pandemic at Te Papa!
12. All the timber materials for the centre were sourced from sustainable forestry.
13. The building is designed with water efficient fittings and systems to harvest rainwater, and is estimated to reduce waste of drinkable water by 30%.
14. Mana whenua played a vital part in shaping the building’s identity, with the centre’s name and karakia being gifted by Taranaki Whānui.
15. The Māori meaning of Tākina is to encounter and invoke, to connect and to bring forth.
16. The Convention Centre was bestowed with the name Tākina to acknowledge and reflect the way that Wellington summons great winds, which are considered a metaphor for bringing magic, energy, ideas, and the sharing of knowledge.
17. Tākina is set to host the iPRES 21st international Digital Preservation conference in 2025. This marks the first time New Zealand will have hosted the conference, and it expects to bring some of the best international digital space experts to our capital.
18. Tākina is designed with accessibility in mind. Aside from accessible entrances and lifts, the Convention Centre will have hearing assisting augmentation throughout the venue, which can be tuned into from personal devices through the buildings WIFI.
19. The construction has taken 6000 cubic metres of concrete, 2.5 thousand tonnes of structural steel, 32 base isolators for earthquake protection, and has taken over 300 on-site workers to build.
20. Test events in the Tākina space will commence in May 2023, in lead up to the first official event commencing in June 2023.
21. The influx of visitors to Wellington on business to Tākina are estimated to boost the city’s local economy by $44.8 million dollars each year.
Tākina is a conference centre that will be fit to host great events and experiences in the heart of Pōneke for many generations to come. We are excited to soon announce the first headline exhibition of Tākina, so keep an eye on our channels for more information.