October 08, 2021
Auckland City Gallery appoints kaupapa Māori manager
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki has created a new management position, head of kaupapa Māori.
The job has gone to Te Arepa Morehu, whose background includes being a business analyst at Spark and most recently a service design chapter lead at Westpac, running workshops for staff on the Agile business method.
He also led a diversity programme for Spark and was a trainee future director on the board of Ngāti Whātua Whai Rawa from 2017 to 2019.
Mr Morehu says one of his first priorities will be recruiting a new curator of Māori art.
The previous curator, Nigel Borell, resigned on the eve of the opening of the Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art exhibition, and later criticised the colonial nature of the institution.
His departure also coincided with the resignation of several long serving members of the gallery’s Māori advisory board, Haerewa, who expressed concern at the different vision for Māori being set under director, Kirsten Lacy, who took the job in 2019 after a stint as deputy director of the Australian National Gallery.
Ms Lacey says she’s excited to work with Mr Morehu to develop a bi-cultural framework for the gallery.