Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty was, until last year, the fastest growing city in Aotearoa for some 30 years and can now count itself as our fifth largest city.
With its beautiful harbour location, it’s not hard to see why. And, certainly with all that growth, it’s had its fair share of speed wobbles. But there’s also a fresh cultural energy to the place. But it's a city which for a long time didn't have a public gallery or museum.
Te Manawataki o te Papa - the heartbeat of Te Papa - is a $306 million culture anchor project for Tauranga’s city centre, due to be created by 2028. Te Papa being the narrow peninsula the CBD sits on.
That project is due to include that long-called for museum, a new library and community hub, civic whare or public meeting house and, opening Saturday November 15, a reenvisioned and expanded Tauranga Art Gallery.
The gallery first opened in 2007. A $9.65 million redevelopment has seen the gallery closed for the last two years and it will reopen with an impressive new suite of exhibitions with a range of new gallery and community spaces.
The redevelopment has been jointly funded by the Tauranga Art Gallery Trust, external community trust grants and Tauranga City Council.
Our guest on Culture 101 is director of the gallery Sonya Korohina.
Tauranga born and bred Sonya is of Ngāti Porou and Pākēha descent and has led the gallery since March 2023.
Previously she ran Supercut Projects developing public art and public space engagement for the city.
