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Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery

 

THE REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT

  • Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery reopened after a 4 year redevelopment on 9 November 2024.
  • The reimagined Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, at Pukenamu Queen’s Park in the centre of Whanganui, is made up of a west facing atrium, acting as a new entrance way, and a carved totara waka walk bridge, which links the original heritage gallery to the new state-of-the-art Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa.
  • Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery is vastly increased in size and capability. With the addition of new gallery spaces, exhibition capacity has doubled, with a similar footprint also added for dedicated collection storage, and the same again for offices, event spaces and a cafe.
  • The 105-year-old heritage listed Sarjeant Gallery, with its distinctive 14-metre-high dome and Oamaru stone exterior, has been earthquake- strengthened and lovingly restored and now accommodates exhibition spaces, a family room, reading room and library.
  • The new wing honours the memory of Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa, for his contribution to leadership in the Manawatū-Whanganui region and is known as Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa.
  • Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa, houses a temperature and humidity-controlled storage area for Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery’s nationally significant collection of over 9,000 items, ensuring its protection and accessibility for future generations.
  • The new wing also accommodates exhibition spaces, workshops, a photographic studio, a classroom facility, retail space, café and publicly accessible event spaces and meeting rooms.
  • Design has been led by Warren and Mahoney architects, while the new wing, Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa, incorporates visual narratives developed through a co-design process with Te Kāhui Toi o Tūpoho, the artist group appointed by Te Rūnanga o Tūpoho, the collective Hāpu of the Whanganui Iwi who occupy and maintain permanent settlement in the lower reaches of the Whanganui River.
  • A unique element of the co-design process is the overarching concept of kānapanapa, the phenomenon of light from the river environment, embodied in the new architecture. The etched black granite cladding and metal tioata inserts, which glint in the light, along with the carved totara waka bridge, seamlessly connect the heritage building to the new extension Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa.

 

FUNDING

  • Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery Redevelopment Project was a partnership between Whanganui District Council, Whanganui Iwi, central government, and supporters and benefactors, including large and small private donors and trusts.
  • The funding for this project came from a combination of sources: Whanganui District Council, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Significant Projects Fund (DIA), New Zealand Lottery Grants Board, Provincial Growth Fund (via MBIE, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment), public and private trusts and a multitude of individual donations from supporters and benefactors, both large and small.
  • The total estimated cost of the redevelopment project was $79.4 million.
  • The majority of funding was grants and fundraising ($53.3m) with around a third from Whanganui District Council ($26.1m).
  • Nearly $11 million has been donated by community and private trusts and individuals.
  • A final Economic Impact Assessment of the project was commissioned by the Whanganui District Council and principal funding partner Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and was made public in March 2026 is available for review here.