Homegrown bids farewell to Wellington, seeks new venue for 2026

Fans are saying the magic of the event will be hard to recreate when it moves on from the capital next year.

By Bill Hickman of RNZ

Homegrown New Zealand music festival kicks off today for its final time on the Wellington waterfront.

Fans are saying the magic of the event will be hard to recreate when it moves on from the capital next year.

But a former city councillor said Wellington could do better and local and international creators were lining up to fill the gap.

Organisers announced in January that Homegrown would be finding a new home for 2026.

This week, director Andrew Tuck said he could have only dreamed the festival would thrive and grow in Wellington for nearly 20 years.

The event had gone from strength to strength – building from about 10,000 music fans to more than 23,000 people soaking up the country’s best acts across five stages.

But Tuck said organisers were forced to choose between moving on or risk stagnating in the same location.

“We’ve used every little bit of space. If we move a stage now – or move an entrance – it just doesn’t become as efficient.

“If we keep doing the same thing all the time – as we know from history with other events – eventually people will stop coming because it’s just the same old, same old. We just need the ability to be able to keep things moving around and keep things fresh,” Tuck said.

Tuck said proposals for next year were in front of a variety of councils and he hoped to announce a new home for the festival in April.

Kate Webber had been to every Homegrown since the festival began and said coming to the capital for the show was her “happy place”.

Shapeshifter.

She travelled from Christchurch each year and saved up about $2000 to treat herself to some good accommodation, local dining and new band merchandise.

Webber said she’ll keep saving for next year – in the hope that the new venue appealed – but Wellington’s accessibility would be hard to beat.

“The best part about it is that you can get your wrist band and come and go. Go to all the eateries in Courtenay Place – or anywhere you want to go in Wellington really – and just go back to the stage and see who you want to see. You’ve got the freedom which you don’t have in a lot of festivals.”

Former Wellington City councillor Tamatha Paul had attended Homegrown three times.

She said the event had been one of her favourite festivals but she was confident Wellington could replace it.

“Andrew Tuck told me that only 3% of ticket sales for Homegrown came from Wellingtonians. That’s actually not that surprising because people love the walk along the waterfront. You can be at the beach one minute and then at Te Papa the next minute and then you can be in the bush the next minute. My view is – I’ve made some good memories there – but I agree that it’s time for us to move on to something bigger and better than Homegrown.”

Bass and synth player for Shapeshifter, Nick Robinson, said the waterfront was a “magical spot” but the professionalism behind the event made him confident it would continue to be a success elsewhere.

He said Homegrown’s organisers deserved credit for nourishing the festival – and New Zealand music – over the years.

“Right from the beginning, it’s been this incredibly well-run, professional gig that’s always real good to play.

“People weren’t as into New Zealand music and now it’s massive. They get so many people - it’s just so cool - and I think they’ve probably had a big part to play in that. They’ve just done a great job,” Robinson said.

Henry De Jong, drummer for te reo-driven heavy metal trio Alien Weaponry said the diversity of acts in Homegrown’s line-up made the festival an ideal place to impress new fans.

Alien Weaponry drummer Henry De Jong (left) says the band will leap at the chance to play Homegrown next year - wherever the festival is held.

“Because it’s a multigenre festival you do get people who don’t listen to metal but sometimes their ears perk up when they walk past the stage and they come and have a look. So it’s great for that kind of intermingling of genres and getting people hooked on music they might not ever listen to otherwise.”

De Jong said he’d miss the chance to play right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the capital city but Alien Weaponry would leap at the opportunity to be a part of Homegrown next year – wherever that might be.