She bought concert tickets for a friend’s birthday. The experience left her irate, earning an apology

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Lisa Whyte had an obstructed view when she and a friend paid $291 to see late 90s boy band Five at The Trusts Arena in May.

Lisa Whyte paid $291 for accessible seating tickets for a concert at The Trusts Arena, only to find the view of the stage was partially blocked by a bulkhead.

Ticketek initially rejected her complaint, claiming her photos were taken from a standing position rather than her seat and asserting there was a clear line of sight.

An 'absolutely furious' Whyte lodged a formal complaint with the arena's chief executive, noting it was the second time she had faced an obstructed view at the venue in 15 years.

Following inquiries from Stuff, Ticketek's chief executive called Whyte to apologise and issue a full refund, while the venue promised to re-assess and clearly flag any restricted views in the future.

Solving stuff is where we investigate reader complaints and push for answers. You can read more about the project here, and submit your story for consideration at the end of the article.

In this instalment: Five fan Lisa Whyte was annoyed by her obstructed view at The Trusts Arena. But as Natalie Akoorie reports, she was even more upset after Ticketek told her she was wrong about her experience.

The problem

When Lisa Whyte took her friend to a Five concert she was disappointed to find their “accessible” tickets relegated the pair to the top of the stadium with an obstructed view.

Whyte and her friend were both in wheelchairs, with Whyte paying $291 for the two reserved seating tickets to see the late 90s British pop band at The Trusts Arena in West Auckland last month.

Lisa Whyte was sitting in her wheelchair when she took this photo at the Five concert in West Auckland on May 25.

But when they arrived at the seating area their tickets were assigned to, which was behind the back row of one side of the stadium, they found their view of the stage was partially obstructed by a bulkhead.

Whyte, who bought her tickets from Ticketek NZ, said she raised the issue with the ticket provider’s staff on the night.

She and her friend, whose 40th birthday the tickets were bought for, moved to another wheelchair accessible area behind others.

The 50-year-old Whakatāne woman was born with Spina Bifida and at 19 she developed an infection in the bone of her right foot which required amputation below the knee when she was 34.

She said it was not the first time she’d been to a concert at The Trusts Arena, previously Waitākere Stadium, where the view was obstructed.

“I just don’t want this to happen again ‘cos this happened to me 15 years ago not long after my amputation and I told them then and they sent me this huge apologetic email, and here I am 15 years later - the same thing’s happened.”

At that Adam Lambert concert, Whyte said she wasn’t even seated with her friends and claimed she had to crawl down to them from her wheelchair.

Whyte said there was no indication on the Five tickets the view could be obstructed and, if there had been, she would have bought different tickets.

“If you’re going to sell an obstructed view then you need to tell people that at the time of sale, which you do see, so you know what you’re getting. We were not told this.”

According to the Ticketek website, accessible seating tickets are reserved at venues for fans in wheelchairs and their guests, as well as those with vision and hearing impairments, and people with other accessibility requirements.

What went wrong

Whyte said the response from Ticketek annoyed her more than the incident itself.

She wrote to Ticketek five days after the concert on May 30 explaining what happened.

Lisa Whyte bought the concert tickets for her friend's 40th birthday but said the view and Ticketek's initial response overshadowed the event.

On June 5 she had a response from “Emily” at Ticketek NZ, seen by Stuff, which stated her feedback had been investigated.

“From the photos provided, it appears these have been taken from a standing position further back (likely along the walkway), rather than from the allocated seated position within the purchased area,” the response said.

“As such, these images are not representative of the actual sightlines from the assigned seats.

“Additionally, sightlines are assessed in relation to the staged performance areas, and from what we understand, there was a clear line of sight to the stage when seated.

“Our onsite team were in this section on the night providing chairs that were missing for some companions and no sightline concerns were raised to either them, the ushers or the box office.”

Whyte wrote back three times, saying that this was not true.

“I am absolutely furious at this response. We did raise the view issue to someone wearing a Ticketek t-shirt on the night,” she wrote on June 6.

“We are wheelchair users who were seated in the exact position we took the picture from. I now want a formal apology and a full refund.”

Five achieved meteoric success as a boy band in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Whyte then made a formal complaint to The Trusts Arena chief executive Marcus Reynolds, also seen by Stuff.

“As wheelchair users, we had a significantly obstructed view throughout the performance,” she wrote.

“Contrary to the response we received from Ticketek, we did raise this issue with Ticketek staff on the night and advised them that our view was obstructed.

“I am extremely disappointed by the implication that our account of events is inaccurate.”

She told Reynolds the tickets were a birthday gift for a friend, “and what should have been an enjoyable occasion was unfortunately overshadowed by both the seating issue and the response we have received”.

“As wheelchair users, we are entitled to the same standard of experience as every other paying customer.

“We paid the same ticket price as other attendees and should have been able to enjoy an unobstructed view of the show.”

Whyte pointed to the same issue she’d experienced at that venue 15 years prior.

“On that occasion, the matter was acknowledged, and I received a sincere apology.

“It is disappointing that, despite the passage of time, this accessibility issue appears not to have been adequately addressed.”

She sought a formal apology, a full refund and written confirmation appropriate measures would be implemented to ensure wheelchair users were not placed in a position where their view was obstructed in the future.

What we did

Stuff contacted both Reynolds and Ticketek via email with questions about the treatment of Whyte and whether buyers should be made aware of obstructed views when purchasing event tickets.

Less than 90 minutes later Whyte contacted Stuff to say the chief executive of Ticketek NZ James McKee had phoned her.

“He was very understanding and apologetic. We are getting a refund. I said I want an assurance this will not happen again to anyone else.”

Ticketek confirmed the apology and refund to Whyte and said it would be looking into her feedback further, however it could not supply an official statement by our deadline on Tuesday.

Did we solve it?

Whyte told Stuff she was happy with her refund and apology, which was offered to her by Ticketek 83 minutes after we sent it questions.

Reynolds said The Trusts Arena would use Whyte’s feedback as part of its commitment to constantly improve visitor experience to the multi-purpose venue.

“Having read Lisa’s emails it’s great to hear that Ticketek have contacted her directly and offered a refund.

“Based on the type of event and subsequent positioning of the stage/entertainment, we will re-assess any seats, especially those provided to disabled attendees, that could be considered as restricted view, and flag them clearly within the purchase pipeline.”

Reynolds said he couldn’t address what happened to Whyte 15 years ago as no one who worked there then was still at the Trusts Arena.

The New Standard: If it’s unfair to you, it’s fair game for us.

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