The first public Māori art gallery in Aotearoa, dedicated to profiling solely Māori artists and curators will open in Whangārei in February.
The Wairau Māori Art gallery, located within the Hundertwasser Art Centre, has been many years in the making.
"We are delighted to be at the stage that we can now announce the opening of the Wairau Māori Art Gallery and its inaugural exhibition in the New Year on Saturday 19 February 2022" says Elizabeth Ellis, chair of the Wairau Māori Art Gallery Charitable Trust
![Tinorangatira, 2021, lacquer on etched stainless steel, by Israel Tangaroa Birch.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/AAZKX3KWGKG472UQEJ3YBNORG4.jpg?auth=093af05d897cbb845975e6b4774544da5271a40c07afa7749c2ec4e96019c5f7&width=16&height=16&quality=70&smart=true)
Nigel Borrell, who recently curated the landmark Toi Tū Toi Ora exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery, will curate the first exhibition, entitled Puhi Ariki, which will play on the importance of contemporary Māori art to Northland. It will showcase the work of nine Māori artists who have connections to Northland, with a mix of iconic-first generation Māori artists alongside some recently established Māori artists.