Perhaps one of the most exciting developments for Gizzy Local has been our 2021 move into an old character-filled building at 64 Lowe Street. We gave the walls a lick of paint, the ceiling a little patch up, and moved ourselves into the back room. As the Gizzy Local office, it was very roomy and rather cold. As a community space catering to small to medium sized events, we realised we’d struck gold.
Since then we’ve added comfy old furniture, stocked up on heaters and lamps, and in the past two years have held over 90 different community events! From live music events, art workshops, rangatahi expression sessions and markets, to clothes swaps, poetry nights, film nights, vinyl appreciation evenings, community hui, all ages gigs, music recordings and band practices. Earlier this year we put on a group art exhibition, attended by 200 people on the opening night.
These days we have a great little lounge area and an office street-side. When we’re in, you’ll see our sign out front and an open door. One of the things we love most about this space is sharing it with a bunch of local creatives who work out of the studios. When we hold an event down here, you can be sure it’s been contributed to by the wider collective of Lowe Street creatives in some shape or form. We also love our manuhiri. Some of our most special stories and collaborations have come from the curious people who’ve walked through our doors and made the time to sit down for a cuppa and a kōrero.
What you may not know is that our spaces are also available for hire.. We’re stoked to be able to offer an affordable, welcoming and fun venue for our community to use to host their own events. The spaces are versatile, relaxed, well-equipped, and quickly feel like a home away from home.
So if you’re sick of hosting that weekly catch up at your flat or you need a new location for your singing club or knitting group, or you just want to hold a casual movie night, Gizzy Local might just be the answer to your next event:)
We have two main room offerings at Gizzy Local:
The Backroom is a 5x12m hall (Capacity: 65 seated, 100 standing)
The Lounge (Capacity: 50 standing)
With different rates for each space, we try to keep the price as affordable as possible and offer discounted community rates on hireage as well as a discount for multi-day hires.
Whether you are just popping in to say Kia ora, attending an event here, or thinking about hosting one yourself, please know that this is a safe space for all. We ask that everyone who comes into Gizzy Local takes an active role in fostering an inclusive atmosphere that promotes everyone's safety and well-being, regardless of age, gender, or race.
If you'd like more information about hiring our community spaces please contact us on gizzylocal@gmail.com