| 9 University of Canterbury Students Association - Haere-roa Haere-roa ticking all the boxes Haere-roa offers a number of state-of-the-art facilities and venues that can host everything from functions, conferences, workshops and business meetings to large-scale concerts and festivals. DEVELOPMENT T T Rosa Watson The award-winning University of Canterbury Students Association (UCSA) building is offering an exciting new space in the Christchurch events scene, and providing a hub for students. Opened in July 2019, Haere-roa is the new base for the UCSA, offering a number of state-of-the-art facilities and venues that can host everything from functions, conferences, workshops, business meetings, concerts and festivals, no matter how big or small. The long-awaited multi-function building replaced the original UCSA building that was damaged in the 2010/2011 earthquakes. Haere-roa was built on the same site. The centrepiece function space is the Ngaio Marsh Theatre, which can seat 327 people seated and up to 1000 standing depending on the event’s configuration. This venue regularly accommodates some of Christchurch’s most popular theatre events, concerts, festivals and award ceremonies. Other function spaces include Dr BK Ngau Ti Kouka, Bentleys, The Foundry and the Room of Requirement, all with the ability to cater for events of different sizes. “Each space can be individually hired or hired as part of the whole building for larger-scaled events,” Hospitality Manager Janine Wagenaar said. “We’re a one-stop shop guaranteeing our clients the best event management service prior to, and during our hosted events and ensure we exceed all their catering and AV needs with our in-house caterers and onsite production team.” The in-house, award-winning catering team works with clients to develop a menu that perfectly fits any event and ensures guests leave raving about the food and service. As well as providing a top-class functions and event venue, the vision for the building had been to be somewhere students could gather, and this had been hugely successful, Janine said. “We are known as a student hub on campus.” “We’re a one-stop shop guaranteeing our clients the best event management service prior to, and during our hosted events and ensure we exceed all their catering and AV needs with our in-house caterers and onsite production team.” Along with The Foundry, there are advocacy services and “various spaces for students can just come during their break, when they need quiet time or need a space to study”. The name Haere-roa, that translates to the longest stream or the long wanderer and recognises the building as a space that hosts and welcomes people, was gifted to the UCSA by mana whenua, Ngāi Tūāhuriri. It is linked to the Ōtākaro Avon River, which flows past the UCSA site. Haere-roa embodies ideas of manaakitanga (hospitality) and whakapapa (genealogy, descent from people and land), which are central mauri (values) and Te Aranga (Māori design principles). Sustainability was at the forefront throughout the planning, design and construction of Haere-roa, providing plenty of light and sunny spaces throughout this event centre. The building is heated with renewable energy drawn from a ground-source heat-pump system. This pumps latent heat from the earth’s core throughout the building. The building has interior and exterior ‘Innowood’ cladding – a low VOC formaldehyde emission, recycled product. Landscaping entailed the planting of 5,782 native plants around the site in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council’s waterways partnership, improving the ecological health, indigenous biodiversity and value of local urban waterways. It has also incorporated ecological enhancements of native flora and fauna to ensure it is a place where respect for water, land and people are acknowledged. Haere-roa is already the proud holder of various industry and architecture awards. These include the Best Event 2020 (Band Together) Award (Tertiary Access Group Awards), the Best new/redeveloped building or facility 2020 Award (Tertiary Access Group Awards), the Education 2021 Award (Canterbury Architecture Awards), the Best Small Venue of the Year 2022 Award (EVANZ Awards), and the Best Live Entertainment Venue 2022 Award (HANZ Awards).
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