Kawakawa’s Hundertwasser toilets get official Heritage NZ seal of approval

Kawakawa’s quirky Hundertwasser toilets have been given the official heritage seal of approval.

One of Northland’s most famous, unique and photographed buildings - the Kawakawa Hundertwasser toilets - has been given the official heritage seal of approval.

Kawakawa’s iconic Hundertwasser Public Toilets building – which was listed as a Category 1 historic place by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga last year – was awarded an official plaque marking its status at a special Matariki event recently.

Bill Edwards, Heritage NZ Pouhere Taonga Northland Manager, presented the plaque to Shirley Bradshaw on behalf of the Kawakawa Hundertwasser Memorial Park Charitable Trust and the Kawakawa community.

Bradshaw, who is treasurer of the Trust, has had a long association with the building.

It was she who first suggested to the Kawakawa Business and Community Association that Fredrick Hundertwasser be asked to design a replacement for the then ageing Kawakawa public toilets in the late 1990s.

Business Association chair at the time, Patty Meldrum, approached the internationally renowned artist who agreed – and the rest is history.

Bill Edwards of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Shirley Bradshaw of the Kawakawa Hundertwasser Memorial Park Charitable Trust and long-time friend of Fredrick Hundertwasser, Thomas Scicli-Lauterbach

Hundertwasser had earlier submitted a design for one of his unique, colourful buildings to the Whangārei District Council for the Town Basin, but it turned him down and he instead agreed to the Kawakawa project.

His Whangarei design has since been built into the Hundertwasser Arts Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery at the Town Basin.

The Kawakawa Hundertwasser Memorial Park Charitable Trust went on to establish a memorial park behind the Hundertwasser toilets in memory of the Austrian artists who lived in the Bay of Islands in 2014.

Later, the Te Hononga library, gallery and memorial centre was opened in 2020, to celebrate beauty, creativity and nature as Hundertwasser advocated.

Hundertwasser lived in Kaurinui and visited Kawakawa regularly as his closest town centre, creating many local friendships and memories.

Fredrick Hundertwasser putting the finishing touches to his model of the famous Kawakawa toilets

Edwards acknowledged the foresight of the business association and the wider Kawakawa community in seeing the opportunity for the town and making it happen.

“The building represents harmony with nature and human-friendly architecture but most importantly it is joyful with its use of colour, undulations and recycled materials.

“It is the only public building in New Zealand that Hundertwasser had direct hands-on involvement with, and is an authentic one-off from an artist who embraced the community at Kawakawa, and who was in turn embraced,” he said.

“As we move forward into a future where a changing environment presents challenges through climate change and diminishing resources this building presents another vision of working with nature rather than working against it.”

Under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act, Category 1 listing identifies a place as having outstanding heritage or cultural significance.

Speech notes hand-written by Fredrick Hundertwasser for the official opening of the Kawakawa public toilets. In the speech, Hundertwasser apologises for not being present in person saying: “I am sorry I am not here today but I hate being in the centre of interest. This is why I live in New Zealand. What I did must speak for itself and not my person.”