Mark Oldershaw: Wellington NZ chief executive on Ed Sheeran breaking the region's concert drought

Mark Oldershaw: Wellington NZ chief executive on Ed Sheeran breaking the region's concert drought

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive · 2025-07-23

Wellington’s mega concert drought is officially over, after Ed Sheeran confirmed he was returning to New Zealand next January.

The capital’s last major concert was the Foo Fighters in 2024 - and since then, global superstars like Lewis Capaldi and Lorde have skipped over Wellington when announcing their tours.

Wellington NZ chief executive Mark Oldershaw says Wellington's a big city that manages to attract events, but there's plenty of challenges involved.

"We recognise that we've got a significant stadium and another arena that holds five and a half thousand people with not a lot in between - so there are some challenges there, but there's all sorts of challenges at the moment."

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Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

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