Safeguarding the places, experiences, and stories of Wellington.
Strategic steps to futureproof organisational impact.
City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi from Te Ngākau Civic Square.
Locally and further afield, Wellington is known for many things. The ‘coolest little capital’, ‘Wellywood’ and ‘the windy city’. A destination for foodies and coffee-lovers, a city that celebrates expression and creativity, a centre where ideas are shared with passion and candor, a place with diverse communities, where entrepreneurial people migrated to in search of new opportunities and where iwi settled to flourish from our region’s abundant flora and fauna.
The strands of our story; the things that make our city special, our landscapes admired and our people unique cannot be gauged simply through words on a piece of paper. Instead, our story is told through experiences, through tactile engagements with our history, through walking through the city, through stories shared over steaming flat whites, or by visiting one of Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington’s iconic sites.
Strengthening the city we love
Established in 1995 as the Wellington Museums Trust, Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington independently manages cultural and educational sites on behalf of the Wellington City Council Me Heke Ki Poneke. It is the Trust’s mission to create remarkable experiences that generate vitality and strengthen the city we love.
A visit to City Gallery Te Whare Toi offers new, vivid perspectives through contemporary art, Wellington Museum offers a unique glimpse into our city’s many chapters, Space Place unlocks the stars and the journeys our ancestors took to get here, and Capital E continues to inspire new generations of Wellingtonians.
The sites, which also include the Cable Car Museum and Nairn St Cottage, help to connect over 560,000 local and international visitors a year with different facets of our story; the people that came before us, what they built, the ideas they had, the art they made, how Wellington came to be what it is today and the innovation and creativity that continues to set our city apart.
Strategic steps to futureproof organisational impact.
As the world changes and shifts, Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington’s remains focused on creating and maintaining experiences that are accessible, inclusive, compelling, and fit for the future.
“As the guardian of these key Wellington sites, it is our role to keep developing them, so that they continue to enrich our city and make sure our stories are shared, forever,” says Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications, Carolyn Mettrick
Over the coming years, the Trust is undertaking several significant projects to do just that. Space Place will be brought to life with newly-digitised exhibitions drawing on stories from tangata whenua and the role the stars played in our ancestors' stories. Capital E will move into the new Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui (Wellington’s new central library) and become a family friendly and safe hub for learning, connection, and creativity for our youngest citizens. The Cable Car Museum will also embark on a refresh, with sharing stories from the cable cars history that shouldn’t be forgotten, like the first female cable car driver and the engineering feat that is the cable car. Towards the end of the decade, the historic Bond Store, which houses Wellington Museum, will be earthquake strengthened and a new visitor experience will be developed.
A fund for the future
It is this same future-focus that Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington channels into its fundraising. “We rely on donations to help us maintain and manage our sites day-to-day,” says Carolyn. “But it is also important to think of the next chapter and how we can support our vision long-term.”
When renowned New Zealand ballet dancer, Sir Alexander Grant left a highly valuable painting to the Trust in his will, the trustees and team were faced with a decision on how this generous gift could best benefit the organisation.
“We had a very long debate about whether we would spend the bequest, display it or invest it,” said former Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington Chief Executive, Pat Stuart.
Wanting to make sure that this generous gift had staying power and could benefit the cultural landscape of Wellington forever, the Trust established the Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington Endowment Fund shortly after with the goal of supporting Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington sites.
The fund supports Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington in a range of ways, from assisting with the management and development of museum and art gallery assets to the presentation of new exhibitions, public learning programmes, performances, and other activities.
Through Nikau’s Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington Endowment Fund, which exists in perpetuity, the Wellington Museums Trust have made strategic steps to safeguard their impact. All donations given to the fund will be responsibly invested and grown, and then channeled back into Experience Wellington to ensure that the places Wellington loves continue to remain a vibrant part of our city for generations to come.
To support the work of Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington, you can donate in several ways.
To be part of the next chapter of Pōneke Wellington, you can donate to the Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington Endowment Fund via internet banking or by leaving a gift in your will. Please click on the icons below to find out more.
Internet Banking:
Westpac - Lambton Quay - 03 0502 0163248 001
Once you have donated with the reference ‘WPEWEF’, please let the Nikau Foundation team know by emailing accounts@nikaufoundation.nz with your name, address and noting that you would like to support the Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington Endowment Fund.
Leave a gift in your will:
Leaving a gift in your will is a fantastic way to continue your support for Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington’s work and vision long into the future.
Your gift will be responsibly invested, protected and grown to safeguard and support the places, experiences and stories of Pōneke Wellington for generations to come.
To find out more, please click here.
