The TSB Arena (formerly known as the Queens Wharf Events Centre and then TSB Bank Arena) is an indoor arena in Wellington that hosts basketball games, roller derby, music concerts, conventions and exhibitions. In the 1990s Lambton Harbour Management, a company controlled by Wellington City Council, was involved in developing Queens Wharf as an entertainment area.
- Venue
- TSB Arena
- Town
- Wellington, NZ
- Capacity
- 5,655
The TSB Arena (formerly known as the Queens Wharf Events Centre and then TSB Bank Arena) is an indoor arena in Wellington that hosts basketball games, roller derby, music concerts, conventions and exhibitions. In the 1990s Lambton Harbour Management, a company controlled by Wellington City Council, was involved in developing Queens Wharf as an entertainment area. Two large buildings, Queens Wharf Retail Centre and Queens Wharf Events Centre, were officially opened by Sir Peter Blake on 18 November 1995. The buildings were designed by the architect to look like wharf sheds, but were criticised for being out of scale with other waterfront buildings. Lobby group Waterfront Watch described the events centre as "a monstrous eyesore resembling a Soviet ablution block". The retail centre was an immediate failure, and the building was sold in 1998 to be converted into office space. The events centre continued to operate, and in 2006 was renamed the TSB Bank Arena after TSB Bank bought the naming rights for an eight-year period. When it was opened the events centre had capacity for between 3500 and 4000 spectators. There was seating on the ground floor and on a mezzanine floor, and all the seats were retractable. The main hall had a sprung wooden floor. In 2002, then mayor Kerry Prendergast suggested that the events centre be converted into a convention centre, but in 2005 the number of seats was increased to 4,570 as part of a redevelopment and expansion plan. Further upgrades took place in 2014. In a newspaper article in April 2007, the Wellington Architectural Centre rated TSB Arena as Wellington's second worst building (after New World Chaffers), saying it was inward-looking, unengaging and "awful" for its prime waterfront location. The architect responded:Our original design was for a much lower-scale building with active edges for shops, restaurants and marine-related activities. During the development phase by the client the brief changed to include much larger and in