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Re-imagining Toi Pōneke Arts Centre

Toi Pōneke Arts Centre is being re-imagined to better support Wellington’s arts and creative sector.

An exhibition showing a person in the centre with a light behind them and their shadow displaying on wooden frames and glass hanging from the roof.
Kaysee Savali, Toi Pōneke Arts Centre Dance Development Resident 2023.

Toi Pōneke will be open, innovative, and committed to fostering diversity, inclusiveness, creativity and collaboration in a dynamic, evolving environment.

About the project

Through the Aho Tini 2030 Arts, Culture, and Creativity Strategy, developed in collaboration with the creative sector in 2021, we're committed to supporting artists and creative organisations in the city and developing pathways for artists.

The Council has operated Toi Pōneke Arts Centre since 2005.

Much has been achieved at Toi Pōneke, but the building has some challenges and difficulties, including poor accessibility, and by nature of its layout it has struggled to facilitate effective collaboration and community networking.

The following specific action was agreed in the Aho Tini 2030 Arts, Culture and Creativity Strategy Action Plan 2021-2023: “Further develop how Toi Pōneke Arts Centre can continue to support the arts and creative sector, including partnership and co-location opportunities, and support incubation opportunities and emerging artists.”

Latest update – December 2024

The Re-imagining Toi Pōneke team, in partnership with mana whenua and creative sector representatives, have been working hard and are excited to bring you the re-imagined Toi Pōneke baseline activities, kaupapa, vision, and key focus areas essential for success.

The Kaupapa

The kaupapa of our re-imagined Toi Pōneke is to create a vibrant space that nurtures collaboration, creativity and cultural exchange among artists of all generations using the tuakana-teina concept.

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini” - my strength is not that of an individual, but that of a collective.

Baseline activities

The baseline activities of the re-imagined Toi Pōneke are :

Toi Pōneke vision

The re-imagined Toi Pōneke vision is:

“A catalyst for the growth and development of Wellington artists.”

Focus areas for success

To deliver on the vision, three focus areas that are essential for success have been identified:

  • An ecosystem of creatives, with a focus on the kaupapa of creating a diverse community that supports each other
  • A dynamic and actively managed space that optimises its use while meeting the diverse needs of its users
  • A supportive community that offers artists and practitioners the guidance, mentorship and connections needed to help them progress in their practice.

Project timeline

  • Quarter 1, 2025: A comprehensive plan is being developed to deliver the outcomes of the re-imagined Toi Pōneke. This includes developing new policies, systems and processes. We will provide an update by the end of March 2025.
  • July-December 2024: RTP next steps – In partnership with mana whenua and creative sector representatives, we designed a re-imagined Toi Pōneke model, to support Wellington’s creative sector. The mahi considered the feedback gathered from the Toi Pōneke community, mana whenua, tangata whenua, the Wellington creative sector and Council staff over the last few years.
  • 26 June 2024:  LTP budget confirmed – The Council’s Long-term Plan 2024-34, which outlines how the Council intends to invest for the next 10 years, was adopted on Wednesday 26 June. The LTP 2024-34 includes funding for the Re-imagining Toi Pōneke (RTP) project.
  • 12 April-12 May 2024: LTP consultation open – The Long-term Plan consultations were open to the public.
  • June-July 2023: Developing LTP recommendations – We developed recommendations for the Long-Term Plan.
  • March-July 2023: Wider creative sector engagement – Wider creative sector engagement through wānanga, talks, and a survey to inform the next stage of design. A summary of this engagement can be found on our engagement website Lets Talk.
  • October 2022-January 2023: Collating data – We gathered the data from the current state analysis along with what we knew from Aho Tini 2030 to understand more about the gaps in service provision and the opportunities for Toi Pōneke.
  • July-December 2022: 'Current' State analysis – Research with Toi Pōneke community, research into other arts centre models globally, workshops with key sector stakeholders to understand more about the current issues with Toi Pōneke.

Contact

If you have any questions about the Re-imagining Toi Pōneke project please get in touch with Andy Lowe, Manager City Arts, andy.lowe@wcc.govt.nz

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