Neighbourhood

The environment we live in has shaped so many of our experiences, and the experiences of our forebears, Māori and Pākehā.

The Canterbury region stretches north of Kaikōura and south of Tihi-o-Maru or Timaru, and inland taking in the great maunga to the south, Aoraki Mt Cook, and to the north, Tapuae-o-Uenuku. Traversed by braided rivers dissecting a great plain, grasslands, beech forests and wetlands, and framed by Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, the Southern Alps.

The significant earthquakes experienced by the region in 2010, 2011 and 2016 have given rise to an increasing collection of public artworks and opportunities to showcase regional and Ngāi Tahu stories and creativity.

The Christchurch earthquakes resulted in rapidly growing towns to the south and north of the city. Rolleston, ‘the city of the future’, has significantly expanded with new housing, new schools and new civic spaces, including Te Ara Ātea which opened in December 2021. Described as the manawa of Rolleston, the building is home to the library, café and also includes spaces for art, a studio and a performing space.

Artwork in Te Ara Ātea comprises a range of temporary installations, projections and work hosed in display cases, curated by a parttime public programmes coordinator. The current suite of work includes artists Cath Brown, Nathan Pōhio, Areta Wilkinson, and Hannah Beehre, and new public artworks are being installed and commissioned adjacent the building.

It is equally impossible to ignore the new artwork which spans several kilometres to the north and south of Kaikōura. Artists from Ariki Creative, carvers Fayne Robinson and Riki Manuel and master fabricators Art Fetiche contributed to bringing Ngāti Kuri stories to life.

Within the township itself new murals celebrate the connection with the ocean and a new exhibition space at The Mayfair Arts and Cultural Centre.