Te Māra Toi Gallery

Lush landscapes, beautiful birds, and curious critters - Te Māra Toi Gallery showcases art by local wildlife and nature artists who have an affinity with our vision. The gallery also shows educational exhibitions by Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne about our people, history, and restoration projects.

 

Current Exhibition

 

Hoki ngā mea katoa kei waenganui (and everything in between) - Annemieke Hendriks

Oct–Nov 2024

Te taiao (nature) in Aotearoa New Zealand is rich and vibrant, from tiny insects to towering trees. Zealandia is on a mission to restore and celebrate Wellington's native taonga (treasures), and Annemieke’s art brings that vision to life.

Visiting the Gallery

 

The gallery is free to visit during Zealandia opening hours. It is located in the landing halfway up the second level stairwell between the main visitor desk/shop area and Rātā Café. Occasionally, exhibitions may be held in the shop, the main exhibition space, Pāteke Room, or elsewhere in Zealandia.

Accessibility

 

The gallery is not wheelchair accessible. There is lift access to the floor either above or below the gallery, but there is a stairway up or down to the landing itself. The stairways are wide, with foot grips and sturdy handrails.

Oil painting of a ruru by Carol Theologo

Purchasing Art

Art sales directly support our conservation and restoration programs.

 

Art on Exhibition

 

If you would like more information about an artwork or are interested in purchasing art on exhibition, please enquire at the front desk, call us on +64 4 920 9213, or email gallery@visitzealandia.com.

Purchased art may be collected at the end of the show, or, in some instances, collected immediately.

Art in the Store

 

The Zealandia store carries a wide range of fine art prints and artworks by local wildlife artists. Some prints and pieces are available through our online store.

 

A visitor admires bird art by photo-artist Judi Lapsley Miller

Featuring New Zealand wildlife artists

Our exhibitions feature a wide range of wildlife artists, using many different artistic approaches.

Artist Emma-Kate Moore with her bird art prints

A unique view

Each artist brings a unique vision and view about New Zealand's natural history.

Watercolour and ink painting of a kākā by Rachel Walker

More About Exhibitions

 

A gallery visitor buys an artwork by Karori oil painter Carol Theologo

Support local artists

Most of our exhibitors are wildlife artists with an affinity for Zealandia. Through your purchases, you support both wildlife conservation and your local artists.

Sketch artist, Hannah Shand, works on a detailed tūī portait

See Live Drawing Events

Some artists choose to do live drawing events where you can watch them create art and ask questions about their process.

Guests meet local artist Judi Lapsley Miller on her opening night for her Visions of Zealandia 2 show

Meet the artists

Come and join us on opening nights to meet the artists and other art lovers.

Photo essays about ZEALANDIA wildlife by the Sanctuary Storytellers

Telling our stories

Through internal exhibitions, Zealandia showcases stories about our history, education, and conservation projects.

The view from the top of the gallery

The view from the top

From the top landing, the entire gallery can be seen. The ascension into the gallery from the stairwell provides a voyage of discovery as each wall is revealed.

Visitor Art and Photography Facebook group

Visitor Art & Photography

Join the ZEALANDIA Visitor Art & Photography group on Facebook to see amazing art and photography from our visitors, and to contribute your own!

Photo-art of the kākā kura by Judi Lapsley Miller

Exhibiting in the Gallery

Artists who are inspired by ZEALANDIA's wildlife and vision are encouraged to apply for an exhibition.

Exhibitions are planned months or years in advance and are either by invitation or application. The exhibitions committee meets once a year in early November to consider applications and plan the exhibition calendar. If you would like to apply, please download the instructions and submit your application by 1 November. Notifications go out in the first week of December. Please reach out to the exhibitions coordinator named in the instructions for further information or email gallery@visitzealandia.com.

Art by Niels Meyer-Westfeld

Established and emerging artists

We are proud to support many artists with their first show. We also showcase some of New Zealand's best bird artists, such as Niels Meyer-Westfeld.

Macro photographer Hayley May installs her exhibition about fungi found in ZEALANDIA

It's not just about the birds...

Our exhibitions have also featured landscapes, botanical art, and even fungi!

Volunteer Linton Miller makes final adjustments to how the artworks are hanging

Installation

Volunteer facilitators are available to help artists with their show. Our STAS gallery hanging system makes installation easy.

Scratchboard and ink painting of a takahē by Karen Rankin

Previous Exhibitions