New lick of paint for Royal Wanganui Opera House

Published on 04 February 2021

Royal Wanganui Opera House

The Royal Wanganui Opera House is to get a facelift.

The exterior of the 120-year-old grand lady of Whanganui entertainment, located on St Hill Street, will be painted, and maintenance carried out on the weatherboards.

Project manager Lynda Hocquard said scaffolding will start going up on the outside of the building on Tuesday, 9 February.

“The first part of the work will be fixing any exterior issues with the weatherboards, and after that the whole building will be painted.

“We hope to have it all finished by mid-April.”

Lynda Hocquard said the maintenance will not affect the Opera House’s ability to function – it will remain open throughout the work.

“The Opera House is a Whanganui icon and it’s important that we look after it,” Lynda Hocquard said.

The Opera House was last painted in 2009.

The full cost of repairs and painting is $140,000, and is budgeted for in the council’s Long-Term Plan.