Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment: Sarjeant steelwork connects the old and the new

Steel construction workers join the 104-year-old heritage-listed Sarjeant Gallery to the new Pātaka o Sir Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa wing. Photo / Michael McKeagg

Over the last couple of weeks, the steel that will be used to connect the 104-year-old heritage-listed gallery to the new Pātaka o Sir Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa wing has arrived on site and construction is now under way on the link building that brings old and new together.

Watching this milestone unfold, with the joining of the two buildings literally taking place before our eyes, the gallery’s relationship manager Jaki Arthur described it as an emotional moment, saying “Whanganui’s house of inspiration is really taking shape now”.

“The gallery created by Henry Sarjeant’s extraordinary gift, left to the city in 1912, is now in the hands of its 21st century guardians,” she said.

“Together we are strengthening and restoring the nationally recognised gallery, and building the new wing Te Pātaka o Sir Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa to take the Sarjeant into the future for the next generations to enjoy. By doing so we honour Sir Archie Taiaroa who said ‘our responsibilities are beyond our lifetimes and those of our children’.”

The link structure will create a new entryway into the Sarjeant Gallery on the ground floor and will also feature a waka airbridge connecting the upper floors of both buildings. The waka underpinning the bridge will be manufactured by a specialist boatbuilder and transferred to Whanganui where the cultural expression will be applied – this will be the responsibility of Te Rūnanga o Tūpoho as Mana Whenua.

Artist's impression of the Sarjeant Gallery joined to the new wing.

Having the steel arrive on site has also been significant as it represents some adept problem-solving by our construction firm McMillan & Lockwood, who worked quickly to secure a local Whanganui contractor, NZ Structural & Engineering Ltd, to step in after the project’s steel supplier went into liquidation in March this year. It has been a real pleasure to see this resolved and to have another Whanganui subcontractor on site.

Meanwhile, on June 30 the Taupō Quay gallery was closed as this is where the work of sorting, cataloguing and packing is now taking place ahead of the return to Pukenamu Queen’s Park next year.

The redeveloped Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui will open in mid-2024.

The redevelopment has received $52.69 million (77 per cent of the total cost of the project) in generous funding from the Government, grants, trusts, bequests, fundraising activity and private donations. Fundraising for the project continues.

* Gaye Batty is the Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment project director.