Information:

In 1993 at the invitation of the Whangārei District Council under Mayor Stan Semenoff, Hundertwasser chose a place at the city’s waterfront and drew a design for an art gallery. Hundertwasser sketched a two-storey building with a forest on the roof accessible from below at the most beautiful spot in Whangarei, on an arm of the marina. Two columns, one "European", the other "Maori", at the front corners of the building were intended to accentuate the façade. The Council Building standing at this spot was to be included in the overall site design.
The project did not proceed and only in 2008 it could be revived with the renewed interest of the WDC and the Hundertwasser Non Profit Foundation as a Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Maori Art Gallery. After many years of public discussion and debate, the project was finally approved by a binding referendum in 2015. It is thanks to the private initiative of Ian Reeves, Barry Trass and Trevor Griffiths on behalf of the Prosper Northland Trust and the participation and dedication of many supporters, volunteers, donors and sponsors, that the project is now being realised.
Construction started June 11, 2018. The Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Maori Art Gallery was opened February 20, 2022.