Meet Stephen Johnstone, the person behind Active Event Hire
Active Event Hire is the new name for Active Audio and Lighting Limited — the same Auckland crew and equipment, still owned and run by Stephen, with a name that says what we do.
From mixing bands in pubs to running festival stages
Stephen Johnstone started out as a working musician and sound engineer in Auckland in the late 1990s, mixing bands in bars and halls and hiring out the PA he had built up between gigs. In 2005 that side-line became Active Audio and Lighting Limited.
Since then the jobs have grown — stadium events, city-centre concerts, multi-day festivals, school productions across Auckland and corporate launches — and so has the inventory: line array speakers, digital mixing desks, modular staging, speaker towers, the 8m × 10m inflatable stage cover and the trucks that move it all.
Moving production gear has become a business in its own right. As well as our own jobs we haul staging, PA and backline for festivals, venues and other production companies who would rather it travelled with people who know what is in the case.
What has not changed is that Stephen is still on the tools. He quotes every job, sizes the system himself and is on site with the crew for the build. When you ring, you get him.
He is also a New Zealand distributor of CVR Pro Audio professional sound equipment — PA speakers, indoor and outdoor line arrays, subwoofers, floor monitors, power amplifiers and speaker management systems.
Why people book Stephen
mixing and building shows in Auckland
events delivered since 2005
largest audience covered
New Zealand distributor
- Certified rigger with a working-at-heights ticket
- Licensed wireless microphone frequencies (RSM General User Radio Licence)
- Site Safe inducted for council and stadium venues
- Registered electrical worker on the crew for temporary power
- Class 2 / heavy vehicle licensed drivers for production transport
- Owner-operator: the person you brief is the person on site
Highlighted details are being confirmed with Stephen and will be updated shortly.
“The gear matters, but what people remember is whether they could hear the speeches and whether the band sounded good. That is on me, and I take it personally.”
— Stephen Johnstone
Straight answers and gear that works
- Honest sizing. A wedding speech does not need a line array. A 3,000-person festival does. Stephen tells you which.
- On time, every time. Load-in windows, sound checks and curfews are part of the plan, not an afterthought.
- He knows the kit. Stephen and his crew run the same equipment every week and know exactly what it can do.
- Looked after, not dry-hired. Audio leaves the truck set up and tested, so it comes back in one piece and your show does not stop.
A professional inventory, serviced between jobs
- Line array PA speakers (indoor and outdoor)
- Portable and battery PA systems
- Subwoofers and floor monitors
- Digital mixing desks and wireless microphones
- Power amplifiers and speaker management
- Ground-support speaker towers
- Modular staging, risers, podiums and stairs
- 8m × 10m inflatable stage cover
- Stage wash and uplighting
- Trucks and crew for production transport
Planning an event in Auckland?
Tell Stephen the date, the venue and what is happening on stage. He will size a system that fits and send an itemised quote.