Portrait Gallery director moving to top job at Te Papa, Wellington Scoop, 28 April 2025
News from NZ Portrait Gallery
Our amazing Director Jaenine Parkinson is taking the next exciting step in her career. Her last day at The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata will be Wednesday, 21 May 2025, which is also the day we will announce the winners of the Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award 2025.
After seven and a half fantastic years with us, Jaenine is moving on to become the Head of Art at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand.
Under her leadership, the Gallery has really thrived, and made a huge impact on the national cultural landscape with exhibitions that celebrate the stories and creativity of New Zealanders through portraiture.
Jaenine shared her thoughts: “It has been an incredible opportunity and immense honour to lead the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata. I am proud of all we have achieved together and confident that the Gallery will continue to thrive and inspire under new leadership. I will continue to remind people, to their astonishment, that the Portrait Gallery is a charity that must start fundraising from scratch every year. I remain amazed that the Portrait Gallery not only exists but thrives, thanks to the incredible generosity of its supporters. I am profoundly grateful for the backing of artists, the board, staff, and our community of supporters during my time here.
“A highlight of my time here has been celebrating the iconic impact of some of our most illustrious artists during their lifetimes, such as Jacquiline Fahey, Star Gossage, Robyn Kahukiwa, Richard Lewer, Selwyn Muru, and John Walsh. It has also been amazing to showcase the contributions of artists who are mid-flight, including Edith Amituanai, Hiria Anderson-Mita, Julia Holden, Sara McIntyre, Euan Macleod, and Telly Tuita. I’ve also loved working with communities on thematically rich exhibitions, such as those on filmmaking about the New Zealand Wars, being Chinese in Aotearoa, transgender women of Carmen Rupe’s generation and women sculptors.”
Alan Bollard, our Board Chair, said: “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Jaenine for her visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the Gallery. She played a pivotal role in shaping the Gallery’s success and impact on the national cultural landscape, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours.”
Rest assured, it will be business as usual at the Gallery. Our programmes and exhibitions will continue as planned, and we remain committed to delivering the high-quality experiences you have come to expect.
