After having had doors that were barred and bolted for more than three years, Te Puke’s Capitol Theatre is enjoying a renaissance. Under the Experience Te Puke Kiwifruit Capital of the World @ Capitol Theatre banner, the theatre is coming back to life and the public is being given more and more opportunities to enjoy the spaces within the building.

The society behind the project took over the building’s lease in July. Since then a lot had happened behind the scenes. The first chance to see the work that had been done came, somewhat out of leftfield, when the theatre hosted a listening party for the release of the latest Taylor Swift album, The Life of a Showgirl.

Next was being part of the incredibly popular Te Puke Treat Trail, with the theatre’s foyer and ground floor passageways and auditorium decorated with the help of Te Puke Scouts to add another dimension to the Halloween event.

November

Things then stepped up apace, and in November, with a nod to its past use, there was a showing of the documentary Recloaking the Bay, a 30-minute film sharing the stories of six Bay of Plenty farmers who are taking action to protect water, restore wetlands, enhance biodiversity and build climate-resilient farms.

Then there was a showing of locally made movie The Z Nail Gang, which was given its world premiere at the cinema in 2014. Now movie screenings will happen on each second and fourth Sunday of the month, with Pride & Prejudice and Minions: The Rise of Gru already shown.

Sue Matthews, who was the driving force behind the project, said all the planning and hard work (including sourcing funds as well as the physical work required inside the building) is leading up to an opening of the kiwifruit experience part of the building in the autumn of 2026.

Sue Matthews: A Te Puke Kiwifruit Capital of the World heritage hub will tell the Te Puke district's stories.

True experience

Matthews said the goal is not to provide a museum, not to provide a visitor centre, but to offer a true “experience”.

The first phase will be the telling of the kiwifruit story – how kiwifruit came to the district, the innovations, evolution and successes and the contribution the industry makes to the local economy.

The movie screenings have almost been an accidental byproduct of this goal.

The kiwifruit experience will be housed principally in what was the main theatre. To do that it was necessary to remove the seats, which took a considerably longer time than was first anticipated.

“It took 16 weeks to get rid of the seats, but that gave us time and opportunity to develop the cinema.

“But we’ve been really careful not to use any money donated for the kiwifruit aspect gone into developing this [cinema].”

The kiwifruit story

Once completed, the building will feature the story of the Capitol Theatre, mana whenua stories, information on the local natural environment, stories about and from the local communities as well as the kiwifruit story.

Matthews said what was needed next is to add to the collection of kiwifruit-related items and she urged people who may want to help with the project to look in their sheds, spare rooms and bottom drawers to see what they can find then consider donating them to the project.

Te Puke Economic Development Group is a strategic partner of the project and Mark Boyle said Experience Te Puke would highlight the district’s most significant economic driver, kiwifruit.

“It will add considerable value to both domestic and international tourism and will become a strong community space where locals and visitors can celebrate our many industries, communities, tangata whenua and colonial histories,” said Boyle.

“It will feature people who have made their mark on the world stage.”

Welcome addition

“As an added benefit it brings cinema back to Te Puke with opportunities for performing arts, a lecture space and corporate and business events,” Boyle said.

“It will be a welcome addition to the Te Puke town centre and an attractor that helps business succeed.”

To find out more about the kiwifruit story or donate kiwifruit-related items from their sheds, spare rooms and bottom drawers to the project, email: [email protected]