Hundertwasser Art Centre

This planned Arts Centre has been a polarising issue in Whangarei local politics for two decades. A local referendum in June 2015 gave the green light for the Prosper Northland Trust to raise $12 millon for the planned Art Centre.

The trust are working out of a ‘pop up HQ’ on James Street in Whangarei city. The project was first mooted in 1993 when famous Northland artist Fredensreich Hundertwasser was approached by the city’s mayor to design an arts centre. His chosen venue, a former Harbour Board building was not available at the time however he sketched an Arts Centre to suit the site anyway. The following 20 years saw chain of delays, unfortunately including the death of Mr Hundertwasser on a ship in the Pacific in 2000. He was aged 71.

Several support groups have sprung up and joined up, pushing the project forward, not least of which are the Wairau Maori Advisory and Hundertwasser Vienna non-profit Trust. In 2016, economic development Minister threw $4millon into the pot and further fundraising, business and marketing initiatives were underway with a variety of plans under discussion. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, it was announced that the centre would go ahead.

The first stage of building was completed in 2019, it is named 'He Kakano', (the seed) and was built to indicate that the building would go ahead.

Have a listen to our Audioguide (Press Play) for the backstory...

Koru Flag by Hundertwasser

Image Credit: Ellie Smith