We tell the stories of New Zealanders through the art of portraiture.

The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata was founded in 1990 as a charitable trust. We have been in our permanent home in Shed 11 on Wellington’s waterfront since 2012.

We enable audiences to encounter portraits of New Zealanders who, in all their diversity, have shaped our country’s development or influenced the way we think about ourselves. Through portraiture, we offer perspectives on ourselves, our history, our creativity, and our place in the world.

The Gallery relies almost exclusively on donations from individuals and organisations for its ongoing work, and on the sponsorship of the Adam Foundation for its biennial portrait competition. We would not exist without hard work and dedication of our many volunteers who serve on our Board of Trustees, as team members and on our committees.

 
 

Patron

Her Excellency The Right Honourable Dame Patsy Reddy GNZM  QSO, Governor-General of New Zealand

Trustees

Chair
Dr Alan Bollard

Hon. Treasurer
Mike Curtis

Dr David Galler
Phillip Green
Helen Kedgley
Diane Morcom
Garry Nicholas
Donna Nicolof
Richard Thomson
Eve Wallace

Trustee Emerita
Elizabeth Stringer

 

Team

Acting Director
Brian Wood

Registrar / Gallery Administrator
Talei Langley

Audience Engagement Coordinator
Brianah Lee

Donor Support and Friends Coordinator
Denise Almao

Gallery Hosts
Sambrene Chandler, Paul Johnston, Tia Nepia Su’a, Maya Neupane, Mike Tiller

Volunteer Gallery Hosts
Di Berry, Rosemary Cole, Jane Wright, Margaret Walls, Paul Lambert, Kath O'Shaughnessy, Elizabeth Ellis, Kendall Gibson, Laura Mahy

 

Friends Committee

President
Janet Waite

Jane Aim
Denise Almao
Jennifer Button
Joy Dunsheath
Sue Upton
Carla Wild
Shona Willis

Management Committee

Chair
James Kember

Denise Almao
Dr Alan Bollard
Mike Curtis
Heather Ann Moodie
Diane Morcom
Phillip Green
Helen Kedgley
Brian Wood

Programming and Acquisitions Committee

Chair
Brian Wood 

Mark Crookston
Helen Kedgley
Dr Vincent O’Malley
Dr Keith Ovenden
Dr Rebecca Rice
Julia Waite
Matariki Williams