Hundertwasser Arts Centre

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Artist's impression of proposed Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery.

The Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery is an art and cultural centre under construction in Whangārei, New Zealand. The project converts the former Northland Harbour Board building in the Whangārei Town Basin into an arts centre based on a design by the late Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, with the support of the Hundertwasser Foundation.

The original design was mooted in 1993 when Hundertwasser was invited to design a new arts centre. The project has proved controversial and was considered and rejected a number of times until it was eventually approved by a binding referendum in June 2015.

Construction began in June 2018 and was scheduled to complete by the end of 2020,[1] but pushed back to late 2021[2] due to the COVID-19 lockdown.[3] The art centre is scheduled to open 3 December 2021.[4]

Project history[]

In 1993 the Austrian artist-architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser designed an art centre for Whangarei.[5] The building was not built and in May–June 2015 a referendum was held to determine whether to go ahead. Options presented were to build a Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Gallery in the former Northland Harbour Board building, or a maritime museum, or to demolish the building. Prime Minister John Key supported the project and indicated he thought Tourism New Zealand should assist with funding. (He was tourism minister at the time.)[6]

A majority voted for the Hundertwasser proposal in the referendum, according to the preliminary result announced after voting closed on 5 June. The local Northern Advocate newspaper reported there were 13,726 votes for the Hundertwasser proposal, 7,876 votes to demolish the building, and 5,478 votes for a maritime museum.[7]

The council did not build an arts centre when it was first drawn because Hundertwasser selected a building owned by Northland Regional Council[8] who did not wish to sell it to the Whangarei District Council.[9]

Hundertwasser then went on to design the Hundertwasser Toilets for nearby Kawakawa which have become the major attraction for Kawakawa[10] and are credited with providing the impetus for Kawakawa's economic recovery.[11] After his death the Whangarei District Council revived plans to build the Hundertwasser Arts Centre and in 2012 signed a contract with Hundertwasser Non Profit Foundation to build it and to display authentic Hundertwasser work and contemporary Māori artwork there.[12] The Hundertwasser Non Profit Foundation acknowledge this as the last authentic Hundertwasser building provided it is built on the building he selected.

This project was costed, consented, agreed and included in the Long Term Council Plan. The cost to the council was to be $8 million including earthquake strengthening for the building.[8] 220,000 visitors a year were expected.[10] A feasibility study by Deloittes assessed the economic benefit to Northland as $3.5 million per year.[13] The Yes Whangarei campaign estimated the effective cost per household via rates to be $6.70 per year over 10 years.[14] This per-household cost excluded the earthquake strengthening on the assumption it would be required regardless.

The deputy Mayor, Phil Halse, said "Hundertwasser's legacy would put Whangarei on the map – not just in New Zealand but globally" [15] whereas in Wellington the Wellington Regional Strategy study (2005) noted that Wellington had missed an opportunity to do just that for Wellington by not choosing the Hundertwasser and Gehry proposal for Te Papa.[16]

In 2014, however, newly elected councillors voted “That all previous motions and/or commitments on the Hundertwasser Art Centre be rescinded.”[17]

Following this vote the council asked for further proposals to make that location iconic. The four proposals selected for further consideration included a revised proposal[18] for the Hundertwasser Arts Centre (renamed Hundertwasser Wairau Māori Art Centre) by a newly formed trust called Prosper Northland. Under the new proposal Prosper Northland commit to finding all funding except for the earthquake strengthening. Whangarei District Council staff analysis states that "Overall staff considers the HWMAC proposal to be about economic development while on balance the other three are more about enhancing Sense of Place and telling our story".[19] A public meeting to present the HWMAC proposal was attended by over 1000 supporters [20]

Five councillors who voted against the more expensive HAC proposal moved to reject the HWMAC proposal. The motion was voted rejected at an extraordinary meeting of the Whangarei District Council on 12 November 2014 with only five councillors voting in favour. A counter motion by the major to proceed with the HMWAC proposal AND the Harbourside proposal with a goal to have both was also rejected. A final motion was passed that a binding referendum should be held in March. This was passed.[21]

The New Zealand Herald stated "Last week it was decided, reluctantly, to hold a referendum on the proposal. To scrap the plan would be a loss not just for those supporting it now but for generations to come. At present there is no reason whatsoever for visitors to stop in Whangarei. With the Hundertwasser Arts Centre, there would be"[22]

The referendum on 5 June 2015 returned a majority vote for the Hundertwasser building. The HWMAC received 51% of the vote, with the demolition option receiving 29% and 20% voting for the Harbourside option.[23] Some local media have called it a landslide victory.[24] Voter turnout was 49%,[25] which is comparable to voter turnout of 48% at the last local body election in Whangarei [26]

About[]

The Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery will be an iconic landmark on a grand scale and the last authentic Hundertwasser building in the world. The main features of the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery will be a gallery on the top floor featuring original Hundertwasser artworks on loan from the Hundertwasser Foundation in Vienna and a dedicated space for contemporary Māori artwork on the ground floor. The Wairau Māori Art Gallery will be the worlds first contemporary gallery dedicated to Māori artists whose exhibitions will be curated by professional Māori curators. This gallery is for the permanent promotion of indigenous art in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The name Wairau is the translation of ‘one hundred waters’ in Te Reo Māori, the same meaning as ‘Hundertwasser’ in English.[27]

Hundertwasser Art Centre under construction, June 2021.

The building will also feature a learning centre, a theatre, café, shop and an afforested roof containing rare native species.[28]

References[]

  1. ^ Lambly, Annette (19 June 2018). "Work on Whangarei $26m Hundertwasser Art Centre gets underway". Stuff.
  2. ^ Czerwonatis, Julia (23 May 2020). "Whangārei's Hundertwasser art center to open in late 2021". Northern Advocate.
  3. ^ Piper, Denise (17 June 2020). "Costs 'will not keep increasing' for $30m Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangārei". Stuff.
  4. ^ "Hundertwasser Art Centre BREAKING NEWS".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "The story of the Hundertwasser Art Centre". Yeswhangarei.co.nz. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  6. ^ "Edited to add: Here are our thoughts on... – Whangarei Loves Hundertwasser". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  7. ^ "Landslide victory for Hundertwasser Arts Centre". Northern Advocate. Whangarei. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Poster for Festival" (PDF). Yeswhangarei.co.nz. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  9. ^ "Photo of model of art centre" (JPG). Fndc.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  10. ^ a b "Far North District Council – Hundertwasser Art Centre Model to Tour Far North". Fndc.govt.nz. 2011-09-09. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  11. ^ Kaino, L. (2014). "There's something special about this little town': cultural identity and the legacy of Hundertwasser in Kawakawa, New Zealand". Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies. 28: 65–76. doi:10.1080/10304312.2013.854864. S2CID 145736316.
  12. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Archived from the original on 2014-11-09.
  13. ^ "Whangarei District Council : Notice of Meeting" (PDF). Wdc.govt.nz. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  14. ^ "Yes to Hundertwasser". fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net. 9 November 2014. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  15. ^ "Council to reveal Hundertwasser model on Thursday | Morning Report, 8:57 am on 25 May 2011 | Radio New Zealand". Radionz.co.nz. 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  16. ^ "Wellington Regional Strategy : Selection of Focus Areas" (PDF). Wdc.govt.nz. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  17. ^ "The story: Hundertwasser Art Centre Project History".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "Hundertwasser Wairau Māori Art Centre : Document 1" (PDF). Yeswhangarei.co.nz. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  19. ^ "12 nov 2014-whangarei district council.pdf – Google Drive". Drive.google.com. 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  20. ^ "Big turnout at rally for Hundertwasser Centre | Morning Report, 8:30 am on 10 November 2014 | Radio New Zealand". Radionz.co.nz. 2014-11-10. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  21. ^ "Trust warns decision could kill Hundertwasser plan | Morning Report, 8:28 am on 13 November 2014 | Radio New Zealand". Radionz.co.nz. 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  22. ^ Little, Paul (2014-11-15). "Paul Little: Key and his jokes not the villains – Politics – NZ Herald News". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  23. ^ "Referendum results announced : Whangarei District Council". Wdc.govt.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Landslide victory for Hundertwasser Arts Centre". NZ Herald. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2017 – via www.nzherald.co.nz.
  25. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-30. Retrieved 2015-08-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-08-26. Retrieved 2015-08-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ^ "Hundertwasser Art Centre".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ "Hundertwasser Art Centre".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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