Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Maori Art Gallery

The Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery celebrates painter, architect, ecologist and visionary Friedensreich Hundertwasser and contemporary Māori artists. The Centre is one of just over 40 authentic Hundertwasser architectural projects, the last to be built in the world and housing the largest collection of Hundertwasser artworks outside of Vienna. The Centre is located at the scenic Town Basin by the Hātea River in Whangārei.

Visitors can enjoy two exhibition spaces: the Hundertwasser in New Zealand 1973-2000 exhibition which includes original paintings, visual art, tapestries, examples of ecological work and architectural models from Hundertwasser as well as an overview of his life in Aotearoa New Zealand; and the Wairau Māori Art Gallery, the world’s first dedicated Māori public art gallery which features changing exhibitions of Toi Iho-certified Māori artists. On top of the building is the award-winning Afforested Roof. The showstopper is the golden cupola which visitors can climb to gain sweeping views of the Hātea River and the Whangārei cityscape. Inside the building there is also an Activity Centre where a versatile and varied programme for adults, groups and school classes is offered and events are held, and a small theatre where films about Hundertwasser are screened. To complete the experience there is a MuseumShop, accessible without a ticket, which has exclusive and unique Hundertwasser applied art and Māori books and jewellery and a carefully curated selection of gift items.

The Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery is more than a museum, it is a multi-faceted immersive experience that includes art, architecture and ecology, giving visitors insight into the life and philosophy of the visionary Friedensreich Hundertwasser.