The Tauranga Art Gallery is preparing to welcome visitors back through its doors on November 15, after undergoing a comprehensive two-year closure for an extensive $9.65 million redevelopment. The gallery, now known as Toi Tauranga Art Gallery, has been transformed as part of the city's ambitious civic precinct development called Te Manawataki o Te Papa.
The renovated facility sits at the heart of Tauranga's future civic precinct, a sprawling 306-meter complex that will house multiple community facilities including a modern library and community hub, a civic whare (public meeting house), exhibition spaces, and a museum. This strategic positioning represents a significant investment in the city's cultural infrastructure and community engagement capabilities.
Funding for the ambitious redevelopment came from multiple sources, demonstrating strong community and institutional support for the arts. The Tauranga Art Gallery Trust, external community trust grants, and Tauranga City Council joined forces to finance the project. Specifically, $1.150 million was secured through external grants from TECT, Pub Charity, and the Tauranga Art Gallery Foundation, while the Tauranga Art Gallery Trust contributed $3.274 million to the total renovation budget.
Rosemary Protheroe, chair of the Tauranga Art Gallery Trust, explained that the redevelopment emerged from two complementary directions. "When the council announced Te Manawataki o Te Papa, we [Gallery Trust] sat back on our haunches and thought, wow, this is a fantastic opportunity for us," Protheroe told the Bay of Plenty Times. She emphasized that the gallery needed to reorient itself to align with the new precinct, which opened up opportunities to address public expectations and demands.
"We needed to be taking our position as part of the larger precinct, and in doing that, it opened other opportunities to look at what the public was asking from us," Protheroe said. She expressed confidence that Tauranga now has "a state-of-the-art facility" and emphasized that "we have achieved a fantastic space that is future-proofed and vibrant, it's for generations to come."
During the two-year closure, the gallery team remained active and engaged with the community through alternative programming. They established a pop-up gallery in central Tauranga, organized children's art workshops, and maintained ongoing relationships with local and regional artists. This continuity ensured that the gallery's mission continued even while the physical space underwent transformation.
The renovation included significant infrastructure improvements that bring the facility up to international museum standards. Major upgrades were made to seismic strengthening systems, ensuring the building can safely house valuable artwork and accommodate visitors. The lighting systems were completely overhauled to provide optimal conditions for displaying various types of artwork, while new air-conditioning systems ensure proper climate control for preserving delicate pieces and maintaining visitor comfort.
The gallery's reopening will feature an impressive lineup of nine exhibitions showcasing work from artists across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific region. The diverse programming includes exhibitions and collaborations highlighting portraiture, textile art, jewelry, video installations, and cutting-edge augmented reality (AR) art experiences, demonstrating the gallery's commitment to both traditional and contemporary art forms.
One of the standout attractions will be Kereama Taepa's "Whakairo," an innovative augmented reality art experience that represents the intersection of traditional Māori art forms and modern technology. Taepa expressed his excitement about finally sharing the work with the public, saying it "felt like an age since the gallery journey had begun." He noted that "origins and starting points" serve as a recurring theme throughout his installation, and he feels grateful for the opportunity to create specifically for the new gallery space.
Interestingly, Taepa has a personal connection to the gallery that adds emotional resonance to his current exhibition. "My very first exhibited AR artwork was also here at the gallery, back in 2012, so it feels like a full circle thing too," he explained, highlighting how the gallery has been a consistent platform for innovative artistic expression over more than a decade.
The reopening exhibitions will also feature beloved works from the gallery's permanent collection, including "Old Friends" by Samoan mother and daughter artists Pusi and Vaimaila Urale. Additionally, visitors will have the opportunity to experience work by senior artist Darcy Nicholas, which will be showing in Tauranga for the first time. Nicholas's exhibition presents a carefully curated selection spanning nearly six decades of artistic practice, including drawings, paintings, jewelry, and carvings that demonstrate the evolution of his artistic vision.
Sonya Korohina, director of Toi Tauranga Art Gallery, acknowledged that the biggest challenge during this period was the extended two-year closure. "We've been a part of the community for 16 years and are the creative fabric for our local artists, so being closed has been difficult to not have that connection," she explained. The gallery's absence created a significant gap in the local cultural landscape, affecting both artists and art enthusiasts who had relied on the space for creative inspiration and community engagement.
Korohina emphasized the importance of having a centrally located art gallery for building community identity and connection. "Having a cultural institution that you can engage with through art as a portal is a way for our community to build that sense of place, identity and understand different perspectives," she said. This vision extends beyond simply displaying artwork to fostering meaningful cultural dialogue and understanding within the community.
The gallery's mission extends well beyond local boundaries, representing artists not only from the Bay of Plenty region but also from national and international contexts. Korohina highlighted the role of contemporary art in expanding perspectives, noting that "with contemporary artists, art enables us to understand and see different perspectives, and see the world differently, more than just through our phones."
Reflecting on the broader cultural context, Korohina observed that "we live in such a global world right now that often we're not anchored, and that's what art really can do." This philosophy underscores the gallery's role as more than just an exhibition space – it serves as a cultural anchor that helps community members develop deeper connections to place, identity, and diverse perspectives in an increasingly connected but sometimes fragmented world.
The official reopening will be marked by a free community celebration on Saturday, November 15, running from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This public event will provide an opportunity for community members to explore the transformed space, experience the new exhibitions, and celebrate the completion of this significant cultural investment. The free admission reflects the gallery's commitment to accessibility and community engagement, ensuring that all residents can participate in this milestone moment regardless of economic circumstances.
