We tell the stories of New Zealanders through the art of portraiture.

The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata was founded in 1990 as a charitable trust. We have been in our permanent home in Shed 11 on Wellington’s waterfront since 2010.

We enable audiences to encounter portraits of New Zealanders who, in all their diversity, have shaped our country’s development or influenced the way we think about ourselves. Through portraiture, we offer perspectives on ourselves, our history, our creativity, and our place in the world.

The Gallery relies almost exclusively on donations from individuals and organisations to fund for its ongoing work, and on sponsors to fund its annual portrait competitions – the Adam Portraiture Award and the Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award. We would not exist without the hard work and dedication of our many volunteers who serve on our Board of Trustees our committees and as team members.

 
 

Trustees

Chair
Dr Alan Bollard CNZM

Hon. Treasurer
Mike Curtis

Monique Cairns

Elizabeth Cunningham (Ngai Tahu, Ngati Mutunga) KSO

Phillip Green

Marianne Hargreaves MNZM

Helen Kedgley

James Kember

Diane Morcom CNZM, CVO

Garry Nicholas (Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngati Ruanui, Tauranga Moana, Ngati Haua)

Richard Thomson

Trustee Emerita
Elizabeth Stringer

 

Team

Director
Jaenine Parkinson

Registrar & Exhibitions Coordinator
Becky Bean

Audience Engagement Coordinator
Ruby Spark

Donor Support and Friends Coordinator
Denise Almao

Donor and Development Coordinator
Allison Groves

Office and Awards Administrator
Mike Tiller

Gallery Hosts
Sam Walker, Frankie Millar, Peachy Fulford-Wierzbicki, Lily Wilson

Volunteer Gallery Hosts
Di Berry, Ellie Estop, Elizabeth Ellis, Gillian Orsman, Jane Wright, Jude Campion, Kendall Gibson, Margaret Walls, Megan Galloway, Miranda Pittaway, Paul Lambert, Rosemary Cole, Rowan Hill, Shona De Sain, Victoria Crawford, Zarenna Simone

Friends Committee

President
Janet Waite

Jane Aim
Jo Beetham
Tricia Briscoe 
Susan Laurenson
Odette Tait 
Sue Upton
Shona Willis
Carla Wild
Denise Almao

Kaitiaki Komiti

Chair
Phillip Green

Elizabeth Cunningham
Helen Kedgley
Garry Nicholas
Jaenine Parkinson

Management Committee

Chair
James Kember

Denise Almao
Dr Alan Bollard CNZM
Mike Curtis
Phillip Green
Marianne Hargreaves MNZM
Helen Kedgley
Heather Ann Moodie
Diane Morcom CNZM, CVO
Jaenine Parkinson
Janet Waite

Programming and Acquisitions Committee

Chair
Jaenine Parkinson

Barbara Brookes MNZM FRSNZ
Mark Crookston
Helen Kedgley
Dr Rebecca Rice
Julia Waite
Matariki Williams