About The Meteor

The Meteor Story

The Meteor Theatre has been a part of the Hamilton cultural landscape since it was first built in 1900 as an aerated water bottling factory by local bottler and brewer C.L Innes and Company (of Waikato Breweries). The Innes Tartan building stood strong until the 1960s when Waikato Breweries was sold to Lion.

After that, the building that became The Meteor underwent several transformations. Of its many iterations over the years, there’s none more iconic than when it became Skateworld from the 1970s until the 1980s. Skateworld remains a fond memory for many Hamiltonians, not only as a skating rink, but also as a music venue as well.

In the 1980s, interest in the performing arts in Hamilton rose as new groups were born and new spaces were created and, in 1996, the Hamilton City Council purchased the building and converted it into a black box-style theatre and, thus The Meteor Theatre was born.
From then, The Meteor became occupied by artists and companies looking to create an inclusive and accessible arts community. In 2007, part of the interior was renovated to create an open mezzanine office area for proposed creative industry initiatives, becoming Soda (now the Creative Cluster).

However, as costs rose and usage declined, the Hamilton City Council looked at 1 Victoria Street as a potential asset to be sold. Seeing the detriment that this would do to the creative community, a group of like-minded members of the arts community came together and, in 2012, the One Victoria Trust was established.

On the 1^st of February 2014, the Hamilton City Council gifted The Meteor Theatre to the Trust. Part of the deed of gift for this venue to the One Victoria Trust was the need for earthquake strengthening. With the help of the community of users and local philanthropists and grants (as well as the support of the Council) The Meteor was able to raise the $1.1million needed to ensure that this space remains a functional and robust venue for our community.
In 2016, The Meteor Theatre closed its doors for six months as it underwent renovations and earthquake strengthening and, in May 2017, reopened as a fully accessible space.

Today, The Meteor Theatre remains Hamilton’s home of New Zealand theatre. From emerging local creators to national and international acts, The Meteor remains a place for the community to share creative experiences.

Trustees

Acting Chair – Tracey Wood

Tracey has a long history with the Meteor having been involved in its creation as a performance space more than 20 years ago when she managed the Hamilton Community Arts Council. During this time, she was also involved in the establishment of the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival, FUEL Festival, Indigo Multicultural Festival, redevelopment of the Artspost building, Fringe Festival and the Riff Raff Trust.

She currently works in her ‘happy place’ in events and engagement for Hamilton City Council with community at the heart of her mahi. Outside of work Tracey supports the arts as an avid audience member and when time allows, is backstage in a stage management or producer role.

Tracey notes that none of this would be possible without the support of her family who have been voluntold (like volunteering but less free will) for more events, shows and activities than she can count.

Secretary – Ross MacLeod

Ross MacLeod has been writing, directing and producing theatre in Hamilton for the last decade. While his focus is often smaller scale original works, he has directed productions ranging from musicals to Shakespeare. He has seen The Meteor space come a long way since his first show there in 1999, but a theatre is more than just a building and he is keen to pass on any support he can offer to new writers and performers wishing to use that theatre. He was also a board member of the Hamilton Community Arts Council.

Treasurer – Liam Egan

Liam is a qualified accountant currently working at PwC in financial advisory services. He brings commercial experience across manufacturing, entertainment, and construction industries.

Having spent time out of the Waikato studying in Otago and working in London, Liam returned home to Hamilton in 2021 and is passionate about the potential of the city and The Meteor’s place in the community.

Dave Smith

Courteney Mayall

Courteney has been involved in the Hamilton theatre scene since 2007. She is a professional creative working in a range of fields both locally and internationally. While performing is her main focus, she also has numerous credits including roles as director, producer, writer, production designer, alongside backstage work in hair and makeup. Courteney has always loved the Meteor Theatre and has been actively involved with the annual July school holiday shows including writing and directing ‘Destination: Earth’ and ‘Kingdom of Night’. In a governance capacity alongside being a trustee on the One Victoria Trust, she is the current Chair of The Place Charitable Trust.

Nick Bourchier

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor joined the One Victoria Trust board in 2024, bringing his strategic leadership and storytelling expertise to The Meteor. He first performed on The Meteor stage in 2005 and has since written, directed, produced and acted in theatre across Kirikiriroa. He holds an MA in English from the University of Waikato and works as a full-time thought-leadership consultant, helping organisations turn complex ideas into clear, actionable strategies.

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett joined the Trust in October 2024.  A born and bred Hamiltonian he has spent most of his career in the construction industry operating his own Project Management and Property Management company for over 25 years.  He has been involved in many organisations helping them to lift their profile and property portfolio.

Hannah Mooney

The Meteor is at the heart of Hannah’s passion for engaging in and producing locally created theatre. Born into a creative family, Hannah has been involved in the Hamilton Theatre scene from an early age and first took to the stage at The Meteor in 2012. She has since been involved in many creative projects on and off stage. 

 

Hannah’s passion lies in producing shows and she’s been lucky enough to work on some incredible creative projects at The Meteor. By day Hannah works in the event industry marketing everything from international sports, concerts, and expos in Kirikiriroa. 

 

Hannah previously worked as the Audience Builder at the Meteor from 2017 – 2021 and is thrilled to be on the OVT in a governance capacity. 

 

Outside of work and the OVT Hannah hosts a weekly arts podcast on Free FM called ‘That’s the Ticket’ and enjoys interviewing creators of Meteor events and beyond about upcoming projects and initiatives.

Staff

Cian Parker – General Manager

Cian is an award-winning performer, writer and producer, bringing both a creative and strategic perspective. She was the recipient of the Ngā Manu Pīrere Award at the 2019 Te Waka Toi Awards. In 2019, Cian premiered “Sorry for Your Loss”, which later led to producing and touring her projects both locally and internationally, along with winning the ‘New Playwright Award’ at the Wellington Theatre Awards in 2021. That same year, she received The Springboard Award from the Arts Foundation (2021), recognizing her innovative potential within the arts industry. Cian has worked as a Company Producer for Equal Voices Arts, managing operations of an innovation grant from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, a project to champion accessible arts experiences for all. Additionally, Parker has guest lectured in theatre studies at University of Waikato and local colleges, as well as produced works in a range of festivals and venues across Aotearoa and overseas.

Guy Coker – Technical and Operations Manager

Guy always loves a good bit of problem solving. With many years of industry experience, he’s always up for a challenge. Since the age of 8 he has been playing guitar along with other instruments including bass and drums. Playing in a couple of bands was his gateway into the industry. At a very young age Guy began working with companies such as Drury Lane & ACLX.  Once Guy was old enough, he got a casual technician role at H3 and began taking on more freelance work. This has included working as a Stage Manager/Backline Tech for bands like Katchafire, Kora and Sons of Zion. After working on a multitude of different events be it in a Pub, Theatre, Festival or Stadium he was hooked.  When Guy saw the opportunity to join the awesome team at the Meteor in 2017 he jumped at the chance. He loves working with everyone who comes into the space. Whether it be a community, corporate, or professional event Guy is always ready to make it happen.

Karena Hall – Operations Coordinator

Karena loves all things creative. She loves to immerse herself through creative projects and help bring them to life. Having worked at Disney World, as an Attractions Host, and at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki as the Visitor Experience Manager, Karena comes with a wealth of knowledge in working with local, national and international artists. In these previous roles, she worked to create outstanding experiences for manuhiri from all over the motu and the globe.

Karena comes with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Classical Studies from Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. When Karena is not facilitating arts experiences for the public, she is often found enjoying live music, spending time with whānau and trying new food.

James Smith – Technician

James gets called a Swiss-army knife of a person often, and it’s a claim not without merit. Having been around the community since birth, James has learnt and developed skills in a range of theatrical capacities. After attaining a Master of Arts with First Class Honours in Theatre Studies at the University of Waikato, James has worked as: an nationally and internationally touring ASM, the Creative Director of their company Infinite Monkey with whom they took their one-person show to Wellington in 2022, and countless other technical, production, and performing roles around the local theatre community. 

They began volunteering here at The Meteor in 2018, and soon became everyone’s favourite, and a popular face among many attendees of the venue, officially joining the team in 2022

Meet Our Sponsors

Meet the amazing organisations supporting The Meteor: