Part of Auckland's The Edge, the Aotea Centre stages cultural events. Opened in 1989 by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the centre comprises the 2256-seat ASB Theatre (suitable for ballet, opera and large-scale productions) and the intimate 186-seat studio space, the Herald Theatre.
The ASB Theatre is the Auckland venue for when New Zealand Ballet comes to town, as well as visiting ballet and opera companies. The NSI Convention Centre has various-sized rooms for meetings and conferences.
Aotea is a Maori word which means most commonly in English "white cloud" (as in the Maori name for the country, Aotearoa - "land of the long white cloud").