He kokonga whare e kītea, he kokonga ngākau e kore e kītea.
The house has boundaries, but the heart is without boundaries.
The Hub is a framework, a skeleton. The flesh of activity and ongoing conversation will add to this skeleton over time as the Hub grows and takes shape.
It’s important to get the skeleton right, to lay strong foundations, to create a framework that will support the sustainability and relevance of the Hub, to understand what this space is, to name the bones of the Hub.
We are using a bicultural process to identify the key qualities of these bones and the atua [Māori gods] which relate to each of these qualities.
The bones form the framework for an ongoing discussion about the arts and Wellington.
To learn more about the background download this PDF.
The Backstory
Toi Pōneke Hub is an initiative that grew out of the arts community.
In early 2008, a small group of theatre producers came together and said ‘we [the theatre sector] need an information and networking space’. They took this idea to the BSIDE Wellington Independent Theatre Practitioners Forum and a committee was formed. Toi Pōneke Arts Centre was identified as the ideal location, and the idea was brought to the Wellington City Council.
Later that year the Council facilitated ‘Mapping the Future of the Arts in Wellington’, a series of discussions that were attended by over 400 arts practitioners and local and national arts organisations/groups. These discussions also consistently identified the need for a community resource space, ideally situated at Toi Pōneke.
So in June 2009, Wellington City Councillors agreed to allocate money and staff time to the development of the Hub.
The Hub was developed in close consultation with the arts sector and community groups. The process was very thorough in getting the purpose and foundations of the space right. The more the idea was tested the more it was refined.
Many people have contributed to the Hub’s development. We were also fortunate to have Sarah Adams [designer] and Teina Moetara [adviser] working alongside us.
If you would like more information about the Hub’s history please contact us.
