Tautai Pacific Arts Trust

Tautai Pacific Arts Trust, commonly known as Tautai, is a charitable trust and Pacific gallery located in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded by artist Fatu Feu'u, it stands as the first Pacific gallery in New Zealand and occupies a distinctive position as a public space dedicated to serving Pacific artists and the Pacific community. The organisation has operated for more than three decades, championing Pacific arts and providing a sense of community and belonging for Pacific peoples in New Zealand.

Tautai originated from a pivotal conversation in the 1980s between Fatu Feu'u and the renowned New Zealand artist Colin McCahon, who told Feu'u that the New Zealand art world was waiting for Pacific artists to make a serious contribution. This exchange prompted Feu'u to establish Tautai Pacific Charitable Trust. The name Tautai derives from the Samoan word for navigator, reflecting the organisation's guiding role in Pacific arts. The trust was formally constituted in June 1995, and in January 2008 it was registered by the Charities Commission as a charitable entity. Feu'u, who was appointed an Honorary Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2001 New Year Honours for his contribution to Pacific arts, remains patron to this day. Ian George, an artist, curator and educator, served as a former chairperson of the trust. In 2020, the organisation marked a significant milestone when Dame Jacinda Ardern, then Prime Minister of New Zealand, opened its new Karangahape Road premises. Since 2020, Tautai has regularly offered the Tautai Fale-ship Residencies for Pasifika artists, funded by Creative New Zealand and Foundation North.

Tautai functions primarily as a presenting organisation and public gallery rather than a traditional collecting institution. Its programming centres on the development and ongoing support of Pacific arts across multiple disciplines and media. The trust receives major public funding from Creative New Zealand and significant support from the ASB Community Trust for activities in Auckland and Northland. Its exhibitions and residencies encompass photography, moving image, sculpture, installation, and material experimentation, with artists frequently exploring themes of identity, memory, gender, grief, migration, housing, and belonging. The organisation also runs professional development programmes such as Momentum, designed for Pasifika creatives to develop skills in leadership, communication, collaboration, and professional practice.

Rather than maintaining a permanent collection in the conventional sense, Tautai is distinguished by its exhibition programming and support of individual artists. The building itself features a sculpture by Guy Ngan, a New Zealand artist who identified as Pacific Chinese. Notable programming has included the exhibition 'nobody belongs here more than you,' which presented works by six emerging students from across Tāmaki Makaurau: Ayla Brockes, Portia Haddon, Carmel Aroha Salmanzadeh, Isaiah Swann, Teuila Va'aelua, and Miro Wrightson-Lyons. The trust's Artists Across Borders programme has supported recipients including Leki Jackson Bourke for Taonaga Tufuga Fakamotu in Niue; Tui Emma and Sulieti Fieme'a Gillies and Burrows for the National Gallery of Victoria 4th Triennial in Melbourne; Pelenakeke Brown for the Venice Biennale; Rosanna Raymond for APY Gallery in Sydney; Vasemaca Tavola for the 'Epeli Hau'ofa Gallery at the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies in Suva; ooshcon Masseurs and Jahra Wasasala (CONJAH) for BADVIBES Festival in Bangkok; Sione Faletau for the Dystopia Sound Art Biennial in Berlin; and Molia Alama-Tulafono for the Inaugural Tuvalu Arts Festival in Funafuti.

Tautai Pacific Arts Trust is located at 300 Karangahape Road in Auckland's central business district. The Karangahape Road site was opened in 2020, representing a major relocation for the organisation. The building incorporates a sculpture by Guy Ngan, a New Zealand artist of Pacific Chinese heritage. The central Auckland location places Tautai in one of the city's most culturally significant thoroughfares, known for its diverse communities and arts precinct.

Tautai Pacific Arts Trust operates as a public gallery at 300 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD, New Zealand. The organisation maintains an active exhibition programme, with openings and events regularly advertised through its website at www.tautai.org. As a charitable trust, it remains publicly accessible and continues to serve as a key institution for Pacific arts in New Zealand, funded by Creative New Zealand, Foundation North, and the ASB Community Trust. The trust also generates some income through member and supporter annual subscriptions. Its present role extends beyond exhibition-making to encompass artist residencies, international exchanges, and professional development workshops for Pasifika creatives across Aotearoa.