Auckland Art Gallery | Toi o Tāmaki

Te Haerewa Māori Advisory Committee Member

Sep 2021 to Present

Te Haerewa is the advisory committee for Auckland Art Gallery on Māori development, capability and capacity. Over the past 4 years the committee has been actively providing feedback on the development of an organisational wide Māori capability strategy and action plan, including robust relationships at a leadership level with local iwi Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei and mana whenua across Tāmaki.

Indigenous Curatorial Collective | Collectif des commissaires autochtones | Canada

Board Co-Chair

Nov 2021 - Present

The Indigenous Curatorial Collective / Collectif des commissaires autochtones (ICCA) is an Indigenous run and led non-profit organization that aims to support and connect fellow Indigenous curators, artists, writers, academics, and professionals through various methods of gathering. The ICCA engages in critical discourses, increases professional opportunities for our members, develops programming, and most importantly works to build reciprocal relationships with Indigenous curators, artists, communities and the institutions we engage with.

Wellington Sculpture Trust

Arts Advisory Committee

2020 - Present

The Wellington Sculpture Trust was established in 1982 and is a voluntary and independent charitable trust dedicated to enriching Wellington by providing contemporary innovative public art for the city. The Trust has installed 31 permanent works in the Wellington City Centre, Waterfront, in the Botanical Garden, and along Cobham Drive by the airport. The Trust has also commissioned and installed 10 temporary works. Our aim is not only to commission public works of art, but also to encourage and support sculptural practice in New Zealand.

Creative New Zealand

Executive Committee Member, New Zealand at Venice (La Biennale di Venezia)

Dec 2019 - Nov 2022

On the Executive Committee for the 2022 New Zealand at Venice La Biennale di Venezia I supported artist Yuki Kihara, Curator Natalie King, and Creative New Zealand Council Chair & Commissioner Caren Rangi, to fundraise for the 2022 Venice Art Biennale. The Committee oversaw fundraising, budgets and approvals, managed project milestones, and risk management issues, including two fundraising events at Pātaka Art+Museum and Milford Galleries to raise $200,000 in patrons donations.

Pātaka Foundation

Board Member

Aug 2015 - Nov 2021

The Pātaka Foundation is a registered charitable trust with tax-deductible status. We provide an avenue for gifts, donations and bequests to assist Pātaka Art+Museum in delivering an outstanding exhibition programme. Through the Pātaka Foundation I raised an endowment of three hundred thousand dollars from sponsors and patrons, as well as supporting the 2022 NZ at Venice Art Biennale to raise two hundred thousand dollars from patron’s donations for Yuki Kihara’s Arsenale exhibition Paradise Camp.

Porirua City Council

General Manager, Community Facilities, Economic Development and Strategic Partnerships

Nov 2021 - Present

On the Executive Leadership Team at Porirua City Council, I lead a team of 180 people championing our city's economic and cultural revitalisation strategies. As the General Manager I manage the leadership team for the city’s libraries, art gallery and museum at Pātaka Art+Museum, as well as sports and recreational services at the city arena, gymnasium and aquatics center at the Te Rauparaha Arena. In the Economic Development and Strategic Partnerships space, I manage the leadership team for major city events, business development, youth and social services, as well as the Māori, Pacific and migrant support programmes.

Pātaka Art + Museum

Art Gallery + Museum Director

Aug 2015 - Nov 2021

With over 330,000 visitors per year, Pātaka Art Gallery and Museum is the highest visited regional cultural institution in Aotearoa New Zealand. In this role I managed a team of thirty and led fundraising campaigns for earthquake strengthening and complete renovations of the two collection stores. Through the Pātaka Foundation I raised an endowment of three hundred thousand dollars from sponsors and patrons, as well as supporting the 2022 NZ at Venice Art Biennale to raise two hundred thousand dollars from patron’s donations for Yuki Kihara’s Arsenale exhibition Paradise Camp.

Logan Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia

Exhibitions Manager

Apr 2013 - Apr 2014

As Exhibitions Manager at Logan Art Gallery, I managed and curated the installation of the art gallery collection and touring exhibitions. This included the management and delivery of regional arts and cultural services across multiple venues throughout the Logan City Council region. Over a 12-month period, my team installed over 20 exhibitions throughout the Logan City Council region. Profile gained during this period lead to an invitation to curate the 2015 art exhibition Gold and Greenstone at the Gold Coast Art Gallery (now HOTA, Home of The Arts).

City Gallery Wellington | Te Whare Toi

Curator Maori & Pacific Arts

2009 - 2013

In this role I curated 27 exhibitions and collaborated on several major projects that toured throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. Major projects included the landmark 2011 exhibition Oceania: Imaging the Pacific, a collaboration between City Gallery Wellington, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.

Toi Wairarapa - Arts, Culture Heritage Trust

Regional Maori Arts, Culture and Heritage Coordinator

2007-2009

In 2007 I was contracted by the three regional councils of the Wairarapa to develop the Regional Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy. In this position I helped co-write the Regional Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy with Vicky Rickards, which resulted in the establishment of the Toi Wairarapa Arts, Culture and Heritage Trust to oversee the strategic development of regional cultural initiatives across the three council territories. Through the Toi Wairarapa Trust, we worked with the city councils, local arts groups and local marae to identify and develop economic development programmes, business initiatives, and heritage campaigns with the support of Creative New Zealand and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. This included a region-wide arts survey to identify strengths and strategic opportunities for the creative sector, as well as a separate heritage survey of all marae and significant Māori heritage sites in the Wairarapa. The survey provided a snap shot of the physical health of Māori built structures in the Wairarapa, and provided a strategic foundation for iwi and whānau to develop conservation plans.