Whangārei's Hundertwasser Art Centre is reliant on council funding but is seeing visitor numbers bloom this year. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Whangārei's Hundertwasser Art Centre is reliant on council funding but is seeing visitor numbers bloom this year. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Whangārei’s controversial Hundertwasser Art Centre is seeing green shoots in its visitor numbers but still continues to be reliant on Whangārei District Council funding to keep running.
While the building – the last designed by late Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser – attracted 37,000 visitors in its first four months of operation, it has been unable to sustain those high numbers since and it has not yet reached its goal of 70,000 visitors a year.
The centre is run by the Whangārei Art Trust, a council-controlled organisation which also runs the Whangārei Art Museum.
It expects to arrest the decline over the next few months, forecasting to finish the year on June 30 with a gross loss of $428,000.
These gross figures do not take into account depreciation, which is $976,000 a year on the $33m building. When depreciation and other operating expenses are considered, the net loss is forecast at $1.44m for the year.
Hundertwasser Art Centre director Dr Joost de Bruin told the council’s Community Development Committee on Thursday that visitor numbers were very low over winter, not only at the centre but at other Whangārei tourism ventures.
From July to December, the centre had 13,000 visitors. But with numbers increasing since spring, the centre had 12,500 visitors from January to now, he said.
Visitor numbers not only impact admission fees but also sales through the centre’s gift shop.
To help offset the losses, the council has allowed Hundertwasser Art Centre to draw $450,000 this financial year from a contingency fund – exhausting the $1.25m fund which was meant to be a backup for the centre’s first 10 years.
Hundertwasser in New Zealand 1973-2000 is the key exhibition inside the Hundertwasser Art Centre, using works loaned by the Hundertwasser Foundation in Vienna for free.
In its long-term plan, the council also committed operating grants of $480,000 a year to the centre in 2025/26 and 2026/27, with the Whangārei Art Trust forecasting to be back in deficit when these grants end.
A recent application to Foundation North for funding was declined due to the trust being a council-controlled organisation, showing how hard it could be to get external funding.
Trust chairman Bill Shepherd told the council the turnaround in visitor numbers was a good sign and a new marketing plan led by Whangārei-based company Level is proving effective since going live in November.
Hundertwasser Art Centre had nearly 1100 visitors during a free open day for its third birthday, receiving many positive comments about both the free entry and its artwork in general, he said.
“Leaving finances aside for a moment, both the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Whangārei Art Museum are continuing to deliver very popular programmes to the community and adding value to the community.”
This sentiment was echoed by councillor Scott McKenzie who said both facilities were playing a role in the cultural hub of Whangārei.
De Bruin said the centre would be helped by more road signs on State Highway 1 and a change in some of the artworks in its Hundertwasser exhibition, which it is talking with the Hundertwasser Foundation in Vienna about changing.
The Hundertwasser Art Centre’s half-year gross loss of $345,000 compares with Whangārei Art Museum’s gross profit of $254,000.
Northland Events Centre Trust, which runs Semenoff Stadium, also posted a half-year loss of $14,000 before depreciation.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
