Prime Minister Bill English meets with HAC Project Team 

 Whangarei’s Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Maori Art Gallery takes centre stage on Prime Minister’s Northland visit

 Prime Minster Bill English says he is impressed and excited by plans for the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Maori Art Gallery after meeting with the project team in Whangarei on Friday.
The Prime Minister met with the Prosper Northland Trust, members of the Wairau Maori Art Gallery Board (WMAG), the HAC project team and the Whangarei Art Museum Trust to discuss the project and plans for achieving its upcoming June 30^th deadline.

Mr English’s visit came at the request of Whangarei electoral MP Dr Shane Reti, who has been a vocal supporter of the project.

The Prime Minister discussed all elements of the Hundertwasser Art Centre project, including the development of Te Kakano – The Seed and the two distinct galleries that will be housed inside the building once complete.

After speaking with WMAG board chairwoman Elizabeth Ellis about the distinctiveness of the Wairau Maori Art Gallery, Mr English said he was impressed by the ongoing opportunity it presented to Maori artists throughout New Zealand.

“I was involved in setting up the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore. Bus loads are coming from Dunedin and Invercargill and it is still going strong, so I can understand what you are trying to do,” he told the group.

The Government committed $4 million to the construction of the Hundertwasser Art Centre at the start of 2016 as a part of the Tai Tokerau Northland Economic Action Plan, which identified 58 actions to support and enable the growth of the Northland economy.

Photo by: Sue Shepherd