Creative Junction Magazine June 16th 2017 | Page 6

“The Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art
Gallery is predicted to be an iconic landmark on a grand
scale and the last authentic Hundertwasser building in
the world.”
N EWS
B Y PIPPA BOURKE
P IPPA@CREAT IVEJUNCTIO N. NZ
The Northland construction industry
is expected to get a boost should
a controversial Whangarei project
go ahead in the next two weeks.
The $20.9 million Hundertwasser
Art Centre and Wairau Maori Art
Gallery is expected to reach its
fundraising deadline by June 30.
Prosper Northland Trust Chairman
Barry Trass says this will equate
to at least 60 carpenter’s jobs.
A further 30 people will be
employed full-time to keep the
centre running once completed.
“It’s so much more than just
employment though,” says Mr
Trass. “Northland Inc have
estimated that the project will bring
an extra $2.7million in revenue
per year from tourists visiting
Whangarei and surrounding areas.”
But it’s down to the wire for
the controversial project. The
Trust have until June 30 to
raise a further $1.25 million.
Mr Trass says he is confident
the project will go ahead, but will
not know for certain until the day.
“It’s definitely not a done deal,”
he says. “And we’ve had to pull
every last contact we have into
the project. We are so grateful
for every bit of help we’ve
received- we couldn’t have got
this far on sausage sizzles alone.”
T he Hundertwasser Art Centre
with Wairau Māori Art Gallery
is predicted to be an iconic
landmark on a grand scale and
the last authentic Hundertwasser
building
in
the
world.
Like the artist’s work, the building
will be multi-faceted and multi-
functional with two galleries
as well as a café, cinema
and student resource centre.
Housed within the centre will be
collections of equal significance,
creating a wakahuia - a treasure
box - of exemplary artworks from
renowned contemporary Māori
artists and Hundertwasser himself.
Museum of New Zealand Te
Papa Tongarewa and Auckland
Art Gallery have agreed to loan
contemporary works to the
gallery for four, three-month
long exhibitions every year.
It will be the world’s first gallery
dedicated solely to contemporary
work
by
internationally
recognised
Maori
artists.
To donate visit http://www.
yeswhangarei.co.nz/donate/.
Economic
Benefits
It’s
estimated
that
the
Hundertwasser Art Centre will
attract over 140,000 visitors a year.
International consultancy Deloitte
estimates the Centre will bring
$3.5 million a year in net economic
benefit to the Northland Region.
These conservative figures are
based on government statistics of
domestic and international visitors
to Northland, and on the number
of these visitors who will frequent
art galleries and museums.
Based on these estimates,
the Hundertwasser Art Centre
would pay for itself in 3.9 years.
Hundertwasser
believed
in
human architecture, designed in
harmony with nature – the lines
and colour of his paintings are
echoed throughout his buildings.
Each new Hundertwasser building
has gone on to become an
iconic destination for locals and
tourists, revered by the cities
they inhabit, visited by thousands
and
thousands
of
people.