Oprah Winfrey has announced she is returning to New Zealand for a one-off show at Auckland's Spark Arena.
Oprah Winfrey has announced she is returning to New Zealand for a one-off “In Conversation” show at Auckland’s Spark Arena later this year.
It’s 10 years since she last made a public appearance in New Zealand, with her “An Evening with Oprah” sell-out show at the same venue in December 2015.
This year’s show, Oprah In Conversation: Presented by Lilly, is billed as a “special and intimate” event, where the audience will hear first-hand from Winfrey about her career and experiences.
The show will cover everything from “the power of authenticity” to the “necessity of resilience” and will resonate with “anyone seeking purpose, inspiration, or a spark to reimagine their own path”.
“One of the things I have always enjoyed is sitting down for real, honest, enlightening conversations, and this experience is all about that,” Winfrey says.
“The energy, warmth, and spirit I feel in Australia and New Zealand have stayed with me, and returning will be an opportunity to reconnect, reflect, and be reinspired — together. I look forward to sharing stories, ideas, and meaningful connection about what’s possible in our lives moving forward.”
Winfrey, 71, who is worth US$3.2 billion, will be in conversation with a moderator, although it has not yet been revealed who that will be.
Ticket prices have not been announced. Her last Auckland show ranged in price from $109 up to $2510 for a VIP package that included having a photo taken with Winfrey and being in the audience for a “soundcheck experience”.
Her 2015 show saw Oprah appear on stage alone. Hilary Barry interviewed her in a one-hour televised special that was broadcast on Three a few days ahead of the sell-out Spark Arena show.
On a recent episode of her The Oprah Podcast, Winfrey interviewed former New Zealand Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern for the release of her memoir A Different Kind of Power.
The pair discussed Winfrey’s 2017 visit to the South Island, where she filmed Disney movie A Wrinkle in Time in Central Otago.
“I have never experienced a world like that,” Winfrey said. “It’s like you’re driving along and you turn a corner and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, everything is breathtaking’.”
Ardern said she had seen Winfrey speaking about how she would love to return to New Zealand for a hiking holiday, an experience that has been on her bucket list.
“You said you couldn’t find anyone who would be willing to hike with you,” Ardern said. “There are five million people who would go on a hike with you.”
The tour dates might allow Winfrey to fit a hiking trip in - she starts the tour in Sydney on December 5, followed by shows in Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne, ending the tour in Auckland on December 15.
When she visited Auckland in December 2015, Winfrey was spotted walking up Mt Eden, dining at One Tree Grill, and made a private visit to Orakei Marae, which she told the Herald at the time was “a truly spiritual experience”.
Dressed in a kakahu, she was greeted by a pōwhiri and toured the marae.
“To be in the presence of people who... have, not just regard, but reverence for who they are, where they’ve come from, who their people are, respect for their ancestors... I think, if everyone in the world did that it would be a different world,” Winfrey said, after her visit.
She also hosted a small VIP pre-show gathering, where guests included Lady Bronagh Key, Dame Trelise Cooper, Annabel Langbein, Maria Tutaia, Karen Walker, and Steve Hansen.
When she returned in 2017 for the Wrinkle in Time shoot, Winfrey posted photos of Central Otago to her millions of Instagram followers, with a hashtag ‘I love New Zealand’.
Paul Dainty AO, from tour promoters Dainty, says Winfrey is a “cultural icon” with an influence that spans generations.
“Her ability to engage, uplift, and empower audiences is unparalleled. We’re honoured to bring this extraordinary event to Australia and New Zealand — it’s not just a conversation, it’s a moment that will resonate with people from all walks of life.”
American Express Card Member pre-sales start at 10am on Wednesday, August 6, with general public tickets on sale on Friday, August 8.
For more information visit tegdainty.com