Behind the scenes, Ciara's camp and the show's promoters were arguing backstage about the venue change and contracts, New York's Daily News reported yesterday.
Demand in the show was so great that it was moved from the student bar, The Foundry, to Ilam Fields to accommodate the crowd.
Australian touring agency Ginnen Group representative Matty Peilua wrote on the Facebook event page on Thursday to apologise to fans: "The event team wish to apologise for the events which took place last night, although it was outside of our control we are truly sorry.
"Please be assured that we did everything we could from our end to try [to] make the show still go on. We are not going to blame anyone or any one thing, we will simply say that we are as disappointed as everyone else."
He added that meet-and-greet ticketholders would receive a full refund, while they would also negotiate with other ticketholders.
Ciara's performance in Porirua on Thursday night had no hiccups. She performed for around 45 minutes with an eight-song set, and was suitably gushy on social media.
"New Zealand, your love was so sweet tonight! Thank you so much for making me feel at home. Love you," she tweeted.
The amore is unlikely to be enough for an invitation back, though.
