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Te Pūkenga Whakaata
 

OPEN DAILY: 10:00am – 4:30pm
Except Christmas Day and Good Friday

New Zealanders: Free Entry
International Visitors (18+): $10


Shed 11, 60 Lady Elizabeth Lane
Wellington Waterfront 6011

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Exhibitions →
 
Exhibitions
The Adam Portraiture Award 2026
May 21
The Adam Portraiture Award 2026

The Adam Portraiture Award is Aotearoa’s premier prize for painted portraiture.

Image: Duncan Pepe Long, Solomon Tāmehana, 2026, oil on wood (winner)

Life in Forms: Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury
Jun 11
Life in Forms: Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury

Life in forms is a focused survey of the work of trailblazing Ngāpuhi artist Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury (1928-1977). It charts the artist’s practice over four decades, from her early works in the 1940s to her final pieces in the 1970s.

Developed and toured by Te Uru Contemporary Gallery.

Portraits from the Parkin Collection
Jul 20
Portraits from the Parkin Collection

This new exhibition showcases portraits from one of Wellington’s best-known private collections of contemporary New Zealand art. Curated by Anna Rigg.

Image: Rita Angus, Portrait of a Friend, Kate Coolahan, Oil on Canvas. Image courtesy of Art+Object.

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Public Programmes
Dementia Art Sessions
Jul 19
Dementia Art Sessions

In partnership with Dementia Wellington and supported by Creative Communities Scheme join us for this inclusive and flexible program designed for people living with dementia. Sessions are free but booking is required.

Miniature Portrait Nails with Emma Mitchell
Jul 25
Miniature Portrait Nails with Emma Mitchell

Join 2026 Adam Portraiture Award finalist and miniature nail artist Emma Mitchell for a session on the art of painting portraits on press-on nails. This is a ticketed event with limited capacity.

Image: Emma Mitchell, Face value, 2026. Gel nail polish.

Monthly Life Drawing: Matariki
Jul 25
Monthly Life Drawing: Matariki

Join us for this month’s koha life drawing session, where we’ll acknowledge the rising of Matariki and Puanga and take influence from the whetū in our drawing.

Image: Folio of drawings by Alan Pearson. Collection New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata.

The Adam Portraiture Award 2026: Artists Talk
Aug 1
The Adam Portraiture Award 2026: Artists Talk

Join us for a kōrero with three of this years Te Whanganui a Tara based Adam Portraiture Award finalists: Sacha Lees, Benjamin Dellabarca and Emma Hercus.

Image: Sacha Lee, Benjamin Dellabarca and Emma Hercus. Images supplied.

Live Portrait Painting with Daniel Phillips
Aug 2
Live Portrait Painting with Daniel Phillips

Adam Portraiture Award finalist Daniel Phillips will be in the gallery creating live portraits in his distinctive style from 1:00pm–4:30pm. Visitors are invited to watch Daniel work and take home a finished portrait for a koha. Portraits are offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis.

Image: Daniel Phillips, Self Portrait - Seat F plane to Auckland, 2025. Acrylic paints and paint pens. Cropped.

Touring Exhibitions →
 
Touring Exhibitions
Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award 2025 - Puke Ariki, New Plymouth
Jul 25
Puke Ariki Museum and Library
Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award 2025 - Puke Ariki, New Plymouth
Puke Ariki Museum and Library

The Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award is a competition that encourages young Maaori artists to create portraits of their tupuna (ancestors) in any medium. The 2025 finalists’ exhibition will be touring to multiple venues around the motu.

Image: Ashley Tutaki, Back to the Source, Photography (finalist)

Puke Ariki Museum and Library
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