Stan Walker's regional tour of nine gigs will not perform in the Bay of Plenty despite having grown up on a marae in Mount Maunganui.
A popular venue thinks it may be because tour organisers are unsure the event would sell.
The nine-location Springboard tour starts at Wellington's Opera House on September 10 and finishes at Christchurch's Town Hall on September 28.
Walker took a break to focus on his health but is back on the music scene and, to celebrate, he's hitting the road for a national tour following the release of his latest single Give which he wrote with Six60's Matiu Walters.
Walker was born in Melbourne and grew up on Tamapahore Marae in Mount Maunganui and went to school at Hamilton Boys' High.
Mushroom Group Promotions publicist Maria Robinson said this was the only tour for Walker to be booked for New Zealand for 2019.
"I do know that we tried to get a venue in Tauranga but there was nothing available of a suitable size," she said.
Totara Street Performing Arts Centre venue director Jay Munro said they were not approached by Walker in regards to a show.
Totara Street is a multi-functional entertainment venue in the heart of Mount Maunganui used for a range of events, workshops and corporate functions.
Walker performed at the Mount Maunganui centre last May and the 400-capacity venue did not sell out, Munro said.
Venue trustee Ross Shilling said it was "interesting" that Walker was from the area and would not be playing in the city on his tour.
Robinson was unable to provide a comment on behalf of Walker as she said he was out of the country.
On tour, Walker will perform songs from his back catalogue, celebrating how far he's come since making his TV debut on the final season of Australian Idol in 2009.
Since winning the show, Walker has released five studio albums and been in five films, making him a household name in Australasia.