Congratulations to Tauranga City Council and the entire project team, on the final green light to forge ahead with Te Manawataki o Te Papa – a vibrant new cultural hub in Tauranga’s city centre.

Te Manawataki o Te Papa – the heartbeat of Te Papa – is a ‘once in a generation project’ that will include a museum for Tauranga’s heritage collection, an exhibition space, library and community space, gallery, and a civic whare for Council meetings and Indigenous events. These uses anchor a wider civic campus that flows down to Tauranga’s waterfront, integrating with the wider network of cultural, natural, and civic amenity across the city.

“This new facility will encourage greater inclusiveness, a sense of belonging and cultural awareness and identity. The museum and library and community hub facilities are expected to have a considerable impact, with over 300,000 and 800,000 visits respectively each year,” says Tauranga City Council Commissioner Anne Tolley. “Of particular importance is the impact Te Manawataki o Te Papa will have on the revitalisation of the city centre, with an expected tripling of visitor numbers, to 5,500 people a day, or 2,000,000 visits a year, by 2035.”

Click here to learn more about the project.

Tauranga City Council Willis Bond Studio Pacific Architecture LandLAB_ LT McGuinness Ltd. Rationale Ltd