Return of our Lorde: Singer announces two Kiwi tour dates for 2026

Author: Mitchell Hageman,
Publish Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2025, 12:14pm

A YMCA toilet performance isn’t all Kiwis will be getting from Lorde, with the singer confirmed to be bringing her Ultrasound World tour to New Zealand for two special shows next year.

The Royals hitmaker and alt-pop icon will perform at Auckland’s Spark Arena on February 11 and at Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena on February 13, 2026.

Fans of the Green Light singer had been in a frenzy ever since she dropped her fourth studio album Virgin last month, to critical and commercial acclaim.

However, many were concerned when initial dates for the Ultrasound World Tour, which will promote the album, didn’t include any Kiwi shows.

Lorde's new album Virgin has caused plenty of hype. Photo / Supplied

A surprise appearance at the Aotearoa Music Awards, following her YMCA pop-up performance of songs from Virgin, seemingly put the snub to rest, with the 28-year-old Aucklander telling the media, “Have I ever missed a New Zealand tour?”

Cryptic posters of a pelvic X-ray also recently began to appear on billboards in Melbourne and Sydney, with some speculating that an Australasian tour announcement was imminent.

The album was described by Lorde as being about transparency, signalled on the album cover, which is an X-ray of her pelvis.

Virgin has since skyrocketed to No 1 on the charts in New Zealand, the UK and Australia upon its release. It also reached No 2 on the Billboard 200 in the US, with songs such as Man Of The Year and What Was That being used prominently on social media.

Next year’s shows will also mark the first time since 2023 that the singer, whose real name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, has performed a full concert in Aotearoa.

She was last here on her Solar Power Tour, with a series of intimate concerts in venues like Havelock North’s Black Barn Amphitheatre, and Western Springs Outer Fields.

Yelich-O’Connor also performed at Wellington’s TSB Arena but looks to be skipping the capital altogether this time.

“Her stage presence was so unique, dancing in her classic irreverent style, in tune with every melody, captivating the audience and tugging at heartstrings,” said Newstalk ZB journalist Azaria Howell, who was at the TSB Arena concert.

Former Hastings Leader editor Maddisyn Jeffares praised the singer for her stage presence and for acknowledging those in the region who had been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Raised and schooled in the suburb of Takapuna on Auckland’s North Shore, Lorde told reporters at the Aotearoa Music Awards that she was staying with her parents while in New Zealand for a brief spell and had enjoyed getting to spend some time at the beach.

A few months later, she caused a major buzz at the Glastonbury Music Festival with a surprise performance, where she performed songs from Virgin and an abundance of her other hits.

The Ultrasound World Tour will continue to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth after the New Zealand stops.