A place to encounter the people and stories of New Zealand.

Offering different perspectives on ourselves, our history and our identity as a nation.

The NZ Portrait Gallery’s home in historic Shed 11 on Wellington Waterfront.

An important biographical tool.

"The New Zealand Portrait Gallery is not just a place to view and engage with art," says Gallery Friends Coordinator, Denise Almao, "instead, it serves as an important biographical tool for our nation; a place to encounter the people of New Zealand; past and present." 

Officially opened in 1990, the Gallery’s launch came at the perfect time, says Denise. "While the 70s and 80s represented a period of social upheaval for New Zealanders, leaving us questioning our cultural and social identity, our sesquicentennial (marking 150-years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi) presented an opportunity to regroup and refocus as we entered the new decade.”  

At the time, the questions of who we now were and what it meant to be a New Zealander were now at the forefront of social discourse. With this, the lens on the New Zealand experience was progressively widening, and it needed a vehicle through which its many stories could be told. 

Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award 2021 - view of exhibition.

A new space to tell the stories of New Zealanders.

It was a few years prior that the first murmurings for a Portrait Gallery had arisen. “The idea for the gallery was first shared at a dinner party attended by such high profile Wellingtonians as Sir Jack Marshall. While it was common to find Portrait Galleries overseas, we did not have our own and it was the perfect time to make this happen,” says Denise.

First established as a charitable trust, the Gallery's permanent collection began with the commissioning of six portraits of such notable New Zealanders as Sir Edmund Hillary. At that time, the Gallery did not have a permanent home, instead moving between such public spaces as Bowen House. It wasn't until 2010 that the Gallery secured a 25-year lease in Shed 11 with help from funders such as Nikau Foundation which donated $10,000.

“For us, putting down roots represented a seismic shift in the life of the Gallery. We were then able to present as a truly professional operation, which was an important aspect of securing further funding," says Denise, "It also meant having a space which emphasised each artwork and encouraged engagement in each story."

Descendants of George Crummer visit the Edith and George: in our sea of islands exhibition 2019.

An iconic Wellington arts destination

Since opening its doors at Shed 11 on the Wellington waterfront in 2010, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery has welcomed more than 400,000 visitors. They now host four major exhibitions a year, each highlighting a facet of the New Zealand experience, filtered through many perspectives, mediums and artistic points of view.

Denise says, "a gallery visitor's experience is entirely individual. We exist to offer different perspectives on ourselves, our history and our place in the world, so what someone takes from an exhibition will differ based on their own experience as a New Zealander."

Though the Gallery is based in Wellington, it is a national institution and also tours 2-3 of its exhibitions to other regions of New Zealand each year.

To date, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery has achieved many milestones, from hosting thought-provoking exhibitions to launching what is now known as the Adam Portraiture Award in 2000, to, most recently, launching the Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award this year. The award invites emerging Māori artists to showcase their skill on a national stage by depicting their tūpuna (ancestors) in a medium of their choice. The subsequent exhibition, which was highly publicised and a great success, comprised videos, paintings, photography and multimedia works, just as multi-faceted and fascinating as the individuals depicted within them.

As it has since 1990, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery continues to play a role in telling our story as a nation, providing a real-time projection of our nation's social landscape, and a diverse lens on the New Zealand identity.

To find out more about the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pukenga Whakaata, click here.