Our Hotere’s new home: $3 million mural takes pride of place in the Waikato Regional Theatre

A relaxed and classy vibe awaits food lovers, with the flavours of Thai cuisine coming to life, right in the heart of Hamilton central.

Thai Classic, at the northern end of Victoria St, has been operating for 15 years and can fit up to 35 diners with Noi McKay taking over three years ago.

The previous incarnation of Thai Classic had blue carpet and maroon-coloured walls, which McKay did not like.

She gave the walls a greener, “more relaxed and classy” look and the flooring a wood lino look.

“Green is also my favourite colour,” McKay said.

In addition to Thai Classic, McKay is also the co-owner of Chim Thai restaurant in Rototuna, with Don McIlraith.

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A new bar could be on the cards in central Hamilton, but its owners are remaining tight-lipped on the venture as yet.

The Waikato Times understands Good George brewing director Jason Macklow is looking to build a new pub on Barton St, where the Coffee Studio is currently located.

The site was purchased in 2018 by Future Properties NZ Limited for $1.8 million.

Records show Macklow is the sole director of Future Properties NZ Limited.

When contacted by the Waikato Times, Macklow confirmed he had bought the Barton St site.

But he declined to confirm what sort of hospitality venture would be developed, saying it’s confidential at the moment.

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Macklow said he hasn’t decided what would be located at Barton St and would provide more detail in the new year.

Macklow, along with Darrel Hadley were the founders of the Phoenix Group, which owns numerous restaurants and bars around Hamilton. The pair have decades of involvement in the Hamilton hospitality scene, originating at the now Lawrenson Group-owned Outback Inn and Iguana in the 1990s.

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Hamilton has been recognised on the international stage for the Love the Centre campaign -- taking out the award over finalists from Sydney and Melbourne.

The Hamilton Central Business Association (HCBA) won the Best Traditional or Digital Marketing Award at the Mainstreet Australia 2025 Awards for the campaign.

The awards featured finalists from all over Australia and New Zealand, and honoured groups who were revitalising main streets.

HCBA General Manager Vanessa Williams said the group decided to enter the competition while organising their own Love the Centre Awards last year.

The HBCA were “so incredibly proud of the work that we had done with Daymark around the creation of the Love centre website”.

“So we thought, actually, yeah, let's put our money where our mouth is and, and see if there is an award programme that we could enter that celebrates our achievement as well.”

Asked how it felt to take out the award over other finalists, Williams said, “there was a lot of pride of Hamilton representing on the international stage against business associations in Sydney and Melbourne”.

“There was a little bit of chest puffing, I'll be honest.”

She said that the award recognised how the Love the Centre campaign showcased the city centre and local businesses.

“With our international flights we have with Jetstar now, you know, encouraging people over from Sydney and the Gold Coast, it's great to be able to profile the best of Hamilton City centre, and I think we do that.”

And what’s next for Love the Centre?

Williams said the HCBA were still growing the content of the site, and were listing more businesses. She added they were also looking into how they could use AI in the campaign.

“We're looking at different things that will make this a really functional site that people ... can use to really find the best of Hamilton Central.”

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