Public art

Frequently asked questions

How much does Auckland City Council spend on public art?

Funding for public art comes from a variety of sources, both internal and external, and can vary considerably from year to year depending on what developments are in progress. Along with new developments, the council has a maintenance programme to ensure that existing art works are kept in good condition and repaired as necessary.

Auckland City's funding for the development of new public art comes from three main sources:

1. The Public Art budget

This is a dedicated Public Art works budget of $300,000 per annum that covers the cost of commissioning and consenting of new public artworks.

2. Capital project budgets

Increasingly new artworks are being budgeted for from within the overall budget attached to a new capital development. For instance, when we plan to build a new community centre, or redevelop a park or do a major streetscape upgrade, the cost of integrating public artworks is included as a cost item within the overall project budget. For example:

Shayne Tuffery created an inlaid concrete work for the new Wesley Community Centre
Charlotte Fisher and artists engaged by Ngati Whatua have created gateway works for the new Oranga Community Centre, and Jim Speers has also created a light work for the centre
Caroline Rothwell created several environmental works at the Mt Albert Recreation Precinct Community Centre including a five-metre high red steel tree.
Filipe Tohi, Charlotte Graham, Nanette Lela'ulu, Manu Scott, Thomas Barter and Rhonda Jameson, together with many community members were engaged to create artworks for the new Onehunga Library and Community Centre. This project subsequently won a Creative Places Award from Creative New Zealand for Cultural Diversity
artworks at Britomart (in the station and surrounds) as part of the Britomart development budget
new artworks that are part of the Queen Street and Lorne Street upgrades.

3. SLIPS: (Small Local Improvement Projects)

SLIPS funds are administered and allocated by local Community Boards for local capital projects. More recently, some community boards have allocated funds for the development of smaller community public art projects such as murals, mosaic tiling projects, etc.

Other ways public art is developed include:

Gifts and Partnerships - opportunities for new public art works sometimes come in the form of gifts, or where Auckland City forms a partnership e.g. with a trust. In both cases, Auckland City may offer to provide a site, and agree to cover the ongoing care and maintenance of the work. Recent examples include:

the eight artworks in the Auckland Domain. These were developed by Sculpture 2001, with funding from the Edminston Trust and Lotteries Commission
three new works funded by the Auckland City Sculpture Trust
Greer Twiss's Albatross on Quay Street
Phil Price's Cytoplasm in Waitemata Plaza
Dennis O'Connor's Raupo Rap in Viaduct Harbour Lane
Guy Ngan's Millennium Tree in the Domain, a gift from the Chinese New Zealanders Millennium Trust.

District Plan Floor Space Bonus Scheme - public art works can be funded through the District Plan Floor Space Bonus Scheme where developers may be eligible for additional floor space if they include artworks that are publicly accessible. The artworks remain in private ownership. Examples of this are the Vero building artworks including Peter Roche's blue neon Coral, and the Price Waterhouse Coopers building that has major works by Bill Culbert and Anton Parsons.

Renewals, repairs, maintenance - public art works are identified as a special assets within the Asset Management Plan (AMP) for Parks and Streetscapes. Currently the city has $100,000 a year to spend for the "renewal" of public art works. What this covers is the repair or restoration of works that need remedial work, have been damaged or need to have key parts replaced eg a water pump. It also covers regular condition surveys of the artworks to assess what repairs or replacements are required and plan for these. Some art works require very little ongoing maintenance other than a regular clean, while others works with movable parts, pumps, fountains, pools, lighting, etc, have higher maintenance costs.

It is difficult to quantify exactly how much is spent each year, since it depends on the level of capital activity, and is complicated by the fact that the costs can sometimes be spread over several years. Other contributions such as the provision land to site an art work are also part of the equation.

How are artists selected for new commissions?

When a new feature or sculpture is to be commissioned, artists are invited to submit a proposal.

There are various selection processes used, including:

Competition via a publicly advertised request for proposal. Notification is made through various media channels such as City Scene, newspapers and on The Big Idea website.
Limited competition between invited parties.
Specific commission, acquisition or appointment.

How are new sites chosen?

There are several ways this can happen:

1. Sites are included as part of open space and streetscape developments

When streetscapes, town centres, train stations, parks and other open spaces are to be upgraded or developed, there is often an opportunity to include public art elements. These could include feature artworks, integrated design elements or street furniture components.

2. Sites are developed as part of CBD Public Art Development Plan

The CBD Public Art Development Plan identified over 50 sites in the Auckland CBD where future public art developments could occur.

3. Sites are nominated by Community Boards

Community Boards can propose and instigate developments in their local areas.

Who maintains public art works?

The ongoing maintenance of art works is managed on a day-to-day basis by council staff who maintain our parks and streetscapes, and all the assets and features in those places. Specialist conservators are contracted when required.

Who is the Sculpture Trust?

The Auckland City Sculpture Trust (ACST) was formed in 2001 to "promote art in Auckland city for the benefit of the people through the commissioning, acquisition and installation of artworks". The Trust works in partnership with Auckland City Council, primarily by way of funding new sculpture commissions and locating them on public land. Works funded by ACST are usually gifted to Auckland City through a bailment agreement, and the council undertakes to provide ongoing maintenance of the artwork.

How can I report damage to a public art work?

Please contact us to report any damage to public art work.