8 | Long journey to full restoration The full restoration has been costed at close to $24 million. Equippers Auckland Group: Mercury Theatre T T Kim Bowden REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Above Auckland’s new underground rail line, a 115-year-old theatre is being prepared for its next century of life. The Mercury Theatre, once an earthquake‑prone grand dame of Karangahape Road, is in the midst of a restoration project balancing heritage, safety and the tough realities of fundraising. Owned since 1994 by a charitable property trust associated with Equippers Church, the theatre’s fate was effectively sealed in 2017 when New Zealand’s building standards were revised in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes. Equippers Auckland Group general manager Matt Gregory says the change shaved more than 40 percent off the building’s New Building Standard rating and officially put it in the earthquake‑prone category. Faced with the revised rating, the trust made the call to close the theatre in 2022 and proceed with seismic strengthening, timing the shutdown to coincide with intensive City Rail Link works in the area, which had already made access to Mercury Lane more difficult. At the time, the legislative settings appeared clear. Since then, the government has partially wound back aspects of the earthquake‑prone regime, leaving some owners wondering whether they might have been able to do less. It’s the reason the $2.9 million spend bringing the Mercury up to 70 percent of NBS “stings” a little. But Matt is pragmatic: the decision is made, and the building is better for it. “Part of you thinks, ‘Oh, gee, we could have spent that money doing something else that desperately has to be done, like the fire system, the electrical work’,” he says. “But at the end of the day, hand on heart, the theatre has been reinforced, it’s been strengthened, and it’s safer.” The seismic work is only the beginning. The full restoration has been costed at close to $24 million. So far, the trust has raised and spent nearer $5 million, and the pace of progress is dictated by what Matt wryly describes as “moving at the speed of cash”. “We’re committed to the full restoration,” he says. “We get one shot at this, so we’re prepared to go slower to do it right.” The project aims to unwind decades of unsympathetic alterations and bring the building closer to its original incarnation as the King’s Theatre. “The most damaging, from a heritage point of view, were the 1960s modifications that carved a smaller theatre into the upper levels,” Matt says. “What we’re trying to do now is roll them back, to get more back to the classic 1910 version of the theater.” When it reopens — now expected in 2027 — the Mercury will be an 800‑seat venue that complies with modern building and fire codes while doubling down on its historic character. A professional venue operator will manage hire Monday to Saturday, with the church using the space on Sundays. Before it closed, the theatre hosted everything from film shoots and live theatre to funerals, weddings, conferences and church services, and that multipurpose role is set to continue. For Matt, the restoration is about ensuring the building remains a living part of the city, not just a preserved relic. “For me this is a legacy project that will outlive my lifetime,” he says. MPM Projects are proud to be a key partner of Equippers Church for the redevelopment of the Mercury Theatre Project Management | Quantity Surveying | Advisory Services 09 303 9420 | info@mpm.co.nz | mpm.co.nz Your project, managed from inception to completion P: 09 846 1616 E: info@stryde.co.nz W: stryde.co.nz We specialise in the build of medium-sized commercial, education, multi-unit residential and community buildings, throughout wider Auckland.
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