102 | Forum North T T Sue Russell Event, venue space open for business T T to page 104 COMMUNITY A renewed community interest in arts and culture post-Covid has kept Whangarei District Council’s Venue and Events team busy over the past year. Bea Mossop, Venue and Events Manager for the Council and colleague Anna Terwiel, Venue Coordinator at Council-operated Forum North, both exude a passion for the venue and the important role it plays in the Whangarei arts, expo, culture and community sectors. Forum North is a multi-faceted facility offering spaces for community groups to meet, hold performances of all manner and size, static exhibitions and cultural engagements. “Forum North was opened in the early 1980’s and built in sections,” Bea says. “When the original, separate theatre burnt down, the Capitaine Bougainville Theatre was built to be expanded,” Bea explains. Until recently, the building has been home to Whangarei District Council, which has now relocated to a purpose-built civic centre “Te Iwitahi” close by. While the Council offices have moved, the Forum North event and venue spaces are very much open for business. “We have beautiful spaces inside, designed to offer our community a wide array of performance opportunities for our performing arts groups,” she says. The largest space is Te Kotahitanga Exhibition Hall which has capacity for 450 seated theatre style. The Capitaine Bougainville Theatre, with a capacity of 340 seats, is an intimate space, perfect for theatre performances. Taking the stress away from planning any event. • We are based in Whangarei and travel from Mangawhai to the North • We can cater for events from 5 to 1000 people and can provide wedding event planning for our clients too. Hire equipment | Delivery | Collection Set up and packdown | Mobile Bar 15 years young. Northland's only professional karaoke machine for hire! www.belltech.co.nz | 08000 EVENT • Event and party lighting • PA Systems • Stage & Drapes • Projectors & Screens • Everything technical!
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