Kowhai Park castle mural

Public art in Whanganui

Public art is a valuable way to share the diverse stories of Whanganui and highlight the wealth of talent in our town.

For artwork on council-owned buildings or land, artists submit a proposal to the Public Art Steering Group. The Public Art Steering Group is made up of passionate people from our community who have relevant expertise for public art decisions.

This group uses its collective knowledge to assess proposals against Public Art Fund criteria.

Why we have this process

Whanganui has a reputation for art and creativity and is a UNESCO City of Design. Having a selection process is a way of ensuring that all artists have a fair chance to apply to create works for public structures and spaces and that high quality art which suits the location is installed.

When the process is followed, community stakeholders also get the opportunity to have input into the content of the artwork.

Decision on the Kowhai Park mural

A mural on the Kowhai Park castle was started in November 2023 without approval. The artist was requested to stop work and council staff helped her prepare a proposal which went to the Public Art Steering Group’s May meeting for discussion.

The artist has successfully had funding and approval from the Public Art Steering Group for murals previously, but in this case, the group unanimously agreed that some of the imagery wasn’t suitable for the site and highlighted potential copyright issues with cartoon characters.

The significance of the Kowhai Park castle

Kowhai Park is a unique community playground and park appreciated by locals and known around the country for its quirky sculptures. The Kowhai Park castle itself was partly designed by prominent modernist architect, Don McCallum, as part of the architectural team Prince, McCallum & Harvey. It’s important that any further additions to the park consider the heritage and feel of the space.

What happens next

The exterior walls of the Kowhai Park castle will be cleaned in September to keep the castle as close to its original form as possible.