By RNZ
Rhythm and Vines (R&V) could be eyeing a new location in Tamahere, at an old sand quarry on the outskirts of Hamilton.
The festival will say goodbye to Gisborne’s Waiohika Estate this year and organisers confirm they are eyeing a spot in Tamahere.
The proposed site, according to the Waikato Times, is on Hooker Road, near the Cambridge end of Tamahere.
Tamahere-Woodlands ward councillor Mike Keir told RNZ’s Checkpoint the idea seemed to be going down well with locals so far, and it would be an exciting event to host locally.
The sand quarry closed years ago and the site was now a farm mostly covered in maize crops.
The Waikato River Trail cycleway runs behind the site, which is mainly surrounded by other farms, and the roads should be suitable for a big annual event, he said.
“I think it’s great, it’ll be great for the area.”
Festival organisers had spoken with a full room of locals at a public meeting in the weekend, presenting a possible layout for the festival ground and details about how it might work, and had been kept busy answering questions, Keir said.
“There was a lot of interest … I didn’t see any really negative responses … it looked like it was pretty well received.”
A resource consent application for large events would be the next step, Keir said.
He believed organisers hoped to attract up to 30,000 people, and it would be interesting to see the turnout to Tamahere given it offered something different to summery Gisborne, the long-term home of the festival.
“It’ll be interesting to see if it does a 20 year stint [here] - that was a pretty awesome achievement to keep a festival going for that long [in Gisborne].”
An R&V spokesperson confirmed they were looking at the new Waikato location.
“Rhythm and Vines can confirm it is exploring a potential new home for the festival in Tamahere beyond 2026, with plans to engage with the relevant authorities as part of a resource consent process,” a spokesperson told RNZ.
Organisers plan to meet with residents at another community open day on Sunday to talk through the next steps.
It was announced in July that the New Year festival would shift to an “undisclosed location in 2027”, ending its 24-year chapter at Gisborne Waiohika Estate.
First held in 2003, R&V has become a defining part of New Zealand’s summer festival calendar, with thousands flocking to the sprawling 700,000sq m estate.
Electronic heavyweights John Summit, Ki/Ki and Netsky will headline this summer’s festival, with locals including Benee and Sir Dave Dobbyn signed up for what’s being called the last dance at Waiohika Estate.