Gaiety Theatre’s search goes global

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

An international search for parts for Wairoa’s Gaiety Theatre’s Projection Unit is under way.

Wairoa District Council chief executive Kitea Tipuna said the ultimate aim was to get movies screening again at the Gaiety, and there is a collaborative, behind-the-scenes effort to try to source the required parts.

“We are appreciative of all the technical support we have received to try to get the projector up and running again, and I want to assure our community we are working hard to achieve this,” Mr Tipuna said.

“A lot of work is going on, including from Hoyts New Zealand and Hoyts in Melbourne, to source functioning parts for the specialised Christie DCP Projection Unit that could help diagnose and ultimately fix the issues.

“Sourcing the required parts is likely to be the quickest way to get the projector running again and movies screening. We are also looking at other options, including seeking permission from the film distributors to screen Blu-Ray DVDs and renting an alternative brand projection unit. These are not straight-forward solutions, but they are being investigated.

“Ultimately, we will need a new projection unit. However, there is a big technology change going on in the Cinema DCP projection unit industry right now and the council has been advised to defer the purchase of a new replacement projection unit.

“The next generation of cinema-based units are transferring to laser-based projection technology, and away from the traditional bulb-based units,” Mr Tipuna said.

“While the laser-based units have been announced, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent computer chip shortages, they are still around six months away from being shipped.

“The recommendation to council is that any new replacement projection unit purchasing decisions are deferred until the middle of next year to allow the new technology to become established.

“Alongside trying to repair the current equipment, we are investigating the most suitable laser-based unit options and looking at how council can finance a new unit.

“It has been over two months since a technical glitch shut down movie screenings and we are hoping we can get movies back on the Gaiety’s big screen as soon as possible,” Mr Tipuna said.

“This is not ideal for anyone and we are putting in every effort to get back up and running. We appreciate everyone’s patience while we work through this process.”