Oprah Winfrey’s upcoming Auckland show has been moved to a venue with a far fewer seats.

The media personality returns to New Zealand next month with her Oprah In Conversation show. The appearance was announced in August, with her return touted as “a special and intimate ‘in conversation’ event”.

The December 14 show was to be held at Spark Arena on Auckland’s waterfront, however a message on the event page of the venue’s website now says “The promoter advises this show has been relocated to The Civic please see Ticketmaster for further details and tickets.”

The Ticketmaster listing page says the Spark Arena show has been relocated and the Civic show is sold out. Tickets for the show were priced from $109 - $439.

The two venues have a sizable difference in their respective seating capacities. The Civic theatre, a 1920s era atmospheric cinema on Auckland’s Queen St, has a capacity 2378 seats split across two levels. The original venue, Spark Arena has a 12,000 standing capacity and 9740 seats when set up for sporting events.

A spokesperson for the promoter told the Herald the smaller venue was “perfect”.

“We are excited to have Oprah returning to speak in Auckland. The Civic will be perfect for this show, with the iconic venue offering a more immersive, conversational environment.”

Hilary Barry and Oprah Winfrey will be appearing together at the American media personality's one-night-only show, Oprah in Conversation. Photo / MediaWorks

When Winfrey last performed in New Zealand in 2015, to a sell-out audience at Spark Arena (then named Vector Arena).

Before travelling to New Zealand, she will visit Australia with shows in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne. The venues hosting those shows have capacities ranging between 3000 and 8000 seats.

Oprah in Conversation is set to be a reflection on the media personality’s life, where she hopes “to share stories, ideas and meaningful conversations about what’s possible in our lives moving forward”.

The 71-year-old is expected to discuss “the power of authenticity” and “the necessity of resilience” at the show which will be moderated by broadcaster Hilary Barry.

Responding to her booking on Facebook, Barry wrote, “OH MY GOODNESS I’M STILL PINCHING MYSELF!!!”.

Barry first met Winfrey in 2015, when she flew to the United States to interview her.