Job offer for Theatre Royal manager role made, councillors to be updated on $47.2m project

Monday, 9 February 2026

With the main construction phase of Timaru’s $47.2 million Theatre Royal and museum project under way, a job offer has been made for the role of theatre manager.

A status report on the project would be provided to Timaru’s councillors at a meeting this week, but not all information would be made public.

According to a monthly report, to be tabled at the Timaru District Council projects and procurement committee meeting on Tuesday, the project to redevelop the theatre, a lane way and new museum at the Stafford St site also remained on time and to budget.

It also showed just over $5m had been spent to date, against a forecast of $6.18m, but that would increase once consultant and contractor invoices for January came in.

A more detailed report, including “commercially sensitive information’’ had also been prepared for the public excluded part of the meeting, the agenda said.

Last week, the council confirmed it had appointed construction company Hawkins to lead the major capital project.

The company moved onto the site on Monday with construction scheduled for completion by December 31.

According to the January report, submitted by council consultant Paul Haggath, of Teams Project Advisory, the council still needed to give long term direction on plans for the former Criterion Hotel and Chinese restaurant buildings.

Previously the council had planned to demolish the back of the hotel, work which had been done, and the back of the adjacent Royal Gardens Chinese Restaurant building, with the facades to be retained as part of the development.

A building consent for the museum, which had been expected to be approved by January 26, was now expected by the end of this month, while civil works on-site would be finished later than anticipated because of the weather, the report said.

However, the delay would not hinder other work.

The vote to sign off the construction contract with Hawkins was taken behind closed doors at a meeting at the end of January.

Following that meeting, The Timaru Herald asked the council the total cost of the contract, and what it included.

It was also asked for the outcome of the vote, which councillors voted for and against, and if any councillor had abstained or declared a conflict of interest.

In response, a council spokesperson said the contract price was commercially sensitive, but was “within the overall budget’’.

And they did not divulge any information on the vote.

“The matter was held in public excluded and has not been released yet,’’ they said.

The council began advertising for a theatre manager in October. It was asked to give an update on the role on January 29, but had not yet done so.

The staus report said: “the TDC (Timaru District Council) has made an offer to a new theatre manager’’.