NZICC is home to some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most esteemed artists. The glass artwork by Sara Hughes and the terracotta tile wall by Peata Larkin wrap around the building, making NZICC a striking and distinctive presence on the global stage. Each piece tells a story of our culture and offers a meaningful welcome to all who enter our space.
Glass Artwork
Wrapping the building in over 500 glass panels created using 60 colour tones, this large-scale work is created by acclaimed New Zealand artist Sara Hughes. Known for her vibrant, immersive installations and geometric abstraction, Hughes has exhibited widely across Australasia and internationally.
The artwork is inspired by Sara’s childhood walks through the bush in Northland, near the Waipoua kauri forest. It reflects her experience of looking up through the forest canopy and seeing light filter through layers of leaves.
Terracotta Tile Wall
Spanning over 100 metres through the laneway from Hobson Street to Nelson Street, this handcrafted façade was created by Māori contemporary artist Peata Larkin (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Tūhourangi). Known for her innovative fusion of painting, weaving, and digital technology, Larkin’s practice explores the intersections of Māori and Pākehā worldviews, tradition and innovation, the tactile and the digital.
The artwork features more than 13,500 terracotta tiles in eight earthy tones. Its design weaves together traditional Māori patterns — including the Patiki diamond, Patitiki constellations, and Aramoana — symbolising the pathway to the Waitematā Harbour.
Shane Cotton Artwork
Located in the atrium on Level 3 and rising to Level 5 is a commanding 16-metre-high work by Shane Cotton (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Hine, Te Uri Taniwha), one of New Zealand’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Commissioned by SkyCity in 1996, the artwork has been lovingly restored and installed in its new home at the NZICC.
Cotton’s practice explores bicultural identity, Māori spirituality, and the layered impacts of colonisation. He often weaves Māori iconography with European visual traditions to create powerful, thought-provoking works.
Pou Wairua Waka
Inside NZICC, Pou Wairua stands as a breathtaking centrepiece — a 17-metre waka carved from kauri by renowned Māori Kaiwhakairo (Master Carver) Lyonel Grant (Ngāti Pikiao, Te Arawa). Spanning three levels of the atrium, this monumental work commands attention and invites reflection.
Pou Wairua represents Te Wehenga o Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku — the separation of Ranginui (sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother) by their son Tāne Mahuta, god of the forest. The bow symbolises Ranginui, the hull Papatūānuku, and the central section Tāne, forcefully pushing them apart. Inset pāua shell eyes bring life to this extraordinary piece, which is more than sculpture — it is a spiritual anchor, rooted in whakapapa and storytelling.
