Break-in, vandalism at Claudelands' The Grandstand

Vandals broke dozens of windows and trashed the inside of an historic Hamilton event venue over the weekend.

The Grandstand, part of the publicly-owned Claudelands event and entertainment facility, was broken into early on Sunday morning and is now temporarily closed while Hamilton City Council staff from the H3 group work through the repairs needed.

The Grandstand is a boutique event venue, used for wedding receptions, private functions, and small-crowd speaking engagements.

Sean Murray, Executive Director of H3, says although the vandalism won't impact on any booked events, the break-in shows a flagrant disregard for public property and a deliberate effort to damage the building.

"This is really disgusting," Mr Murray says. "The Grandstand is a refurbished heritage building, one of the original structures from Claudelands' harness-racing past."

"We were alerted to the break-in on Sunday, when the vandals triggered an alarm which was responded to by our security contractor. They've arrived and observed a group of four people inside the building."
Mr Murray says 43 windows were broken in The Grandstand, and the inside of the building was damaged. Empty alcohol bottles of a brand not sold at the venue were among the debris found inside the building.

The break-in has been reported to police, who are investigating, and anyone with information on the break-in can call New Zealand Police's Crimestoppers hotline – 0800 555 111 – with information, anonymously if needed.