Whitianga Summer Concert: New festival site won’t be ready in time

Cold Chisel will headline the 2025 Summer Concert Tour.

Coromandel’s annual Summer Concert Tour was set to be held at a new site in 2025 but economic and weather woes have hampered progress and it won’t be ready.

Instead, the 2025 gig would be held at the Whitianga Waterways Arena on January 26.

The Summer Concert Series has had a two-year break from Whitianga after storms and cyclones caused extensive damage to roads, including State Highway 25A.

The Mercury Bay Community Board met on Wednesday to receive an updated report on the new festival site at Moewai Rd (Sherriff Block) by Whitianga Waterways Limited.

Greenstone Entertainment operations officer Dean Calvert confirmed the tour had been scheduled to be held at a new site in 2025, but because of weather events, works at the new site wouldn’t be completed on time.

He also confirmed Greenstone Entertainment had committed to Whitianga as a Summer Concert Tour location for the next 10 years.

Following the community board meeting, board member and Thames-Coromandel district councillor John Grant said a new venue for the 2026 event was a certainty, “it will definitely happen”.

“There are no issues around it, in future years it will be a terrific facility that we will be able to use for more than just the Summer Concert Tour.”

In a report to the community board, programme manager Lorenzo Canal confirmed completion of the site had been delayed by a range of factors including severe weather and economic downturn.

Hauraki Coromandel Post has contacted Whitianga Waterways for comment.

In his report to the community board, Canal said Thames-Coromandel District Council (TCDC) had worked with Whitianga Waterways and Greenstone Entertainment to make sure the 2025 Summer Concert could take place in Whitianga after it changed venue to Hamilton last year because of the weather events.

Greenstone confirmed the site used in previous years on Whitianga Waterways land would again be the venue for the 2025 concert.

It is one of the biggest events in Whitianga’s summer calendar with Greenstone Entertainment last month announcing dates and venues for the 2025 Summer Concert Tour, traditionally held in Whitianga, Queenstown and Taupō.

The 2025 bill will feature Aussie rockers Cold Chisel and Icehouse, Kiwi songstress Bic Runga and American rockers Everclear.

The council has a contract with Whitianga Waterways to build a concert venue at the Sherriff Block site in Whitianga, using material excavated from its development sites in the town.

Canal said work would resume this month and be completed by October 2025 in time for the 2026 Summer Concert Tour.

“The completion of the site has been delayed due to a range of factors including severe weather and economic downturn; staff have been actively working with Whitianga Waterways to restart works to complete the site so that it is ready for the 2026 summer concert.”

A variation to the agreement between the parties had been negotiated to have the site ready by no later than October 30, 2025, with the inclusion of late penalties.

The civil engineering consultant engaged by Whitianga Waterways to design and provide construction monitoring of the site provided an updated report on the site construction programme.

In summary, works were scheduled to recommence with earthworks within the stage-one footprint, from this month.

Importation of topsoil was proposed from July 29, followed by spreading, compaction and stabilising to the west of the site.

Final preparation of all surfaces, levelling, under-sowing with seed, and mulching as necessary was programmed through to February 2025, with ongoing maintenance expected through to June 2025.

Works were to be undertaken at Whitianga Waterways’ cost.

Waikato Regional Council had issued Whitianga Waterways a winter works consent for the May to October period, with the acknowledgement that works might be started within that period.

The project’s regional consents remained valid.

The attached correspondence showed advice was given to the council in April 2024 about the temporary cessation of importation of topsoil from the Whitianga Waterways landholdings and associated earthworks on the festival site, based on the economic downturn along with the obvious increased difficulties in continuing earthworks during winter periods.

The site at that time, as reported, was shaped with elevated ground formed and shaped in the stage-one footprint, with surface water controls directing potential surface flows to sediment retention ponds, which were left in operation.

All earthworks previously placed were well established in grass cover.

The flood bypass that diverted farm drains from upstream properties had been completed, with a new flood channel, scour protection, culverts constructed from the upstream, north, inlet to the site, diverting towards the east.

The site was serviced by a metalled access road.

“The site has performed well over the winter period to date.”

Works within the site could start again quickly, with a sediment retention pond already in place, and operating and access established.

Works would include the importation and tipping of topsoil initially towards the western side of the stage-one site, pushing topsoil towards the north.

Existing ground in that area comprised unused watercourse and vegetation, all to be stripped, to enable controlled placement of imported topsoil, compaction and shaping.

Subsequent importation exercises would be made in the following months, as the western embankment was completed, to form final grades at the southern concert stage area and eastern portions.

The proposed import volume was about 12,000m2 to 15,000m2 of topsoil, to make up the intended 40,000m2 to achieve the proposed stage-one concert/festival platform.

At the southern end of the stage-one platform, just to the south of the existing sediment retention pond, a sand platform would be constructed with an elevated, finished ground profile over an area of about 30m x 50m.

The sand platform was to provide competent ground strength for the stage-one festival stage area, associated services/ablutions, and truck/vehicle loading areas.

That sand platform would be suitable for the final stage-two works, where the concert stage may be faced towards the south on the same footprint.

Whitianga Waterways had committed to completing stage-one works, with the concert venue for the 2025 season having been committed to on its landholdings to facilitate the ongoing works.

The agreement between the council and Whitianga Waterways for the stage-one and stage-two works remained valid, and Whitianga Waterways had committed to the completion of the stage-two works within the original agreement (10-year) timeframes.

“Accordingly, the imperative to complete stage-one and hand over in suitable condition to enable 2026 concerts on the festival site is acknowledged and agreed.”