Te Wāhi Toi is an online platform for all things arts, culture, creativity and community. 

A space for creatives to connect, locals to find talent and visitors to discover all that Queenstown, Wānaka and the surrounding region have to offer. 

A place for creativity to thrive, for the arts to grow and for culture to settle into our district’s cracks and pores and coat her in colour.

Welcome to Te Wāhi Toi.

The road here was a long one, and it took a village of people working together to bring this project to life. Our community is woven into the very heart of Te Wāhi Toi, their hands leaving invaluable prints throughout, and we’re so thankful and proud of everyone that left their mark along the way. To celebrate our launch and all the excitement that lies ahead, we’re taking a look back to where it all began.

Our road to Te Wāhi Toi:

1. Three Lakes Cultural Trust established

In 2019, Three Lakes Cultural Trust (TLCT) was established as a Charitable Trust based in the Queenstown Lakes District. Its purpose is to support and encourage arts and culture in all of the QLD communities, enriching the quality of life of residents and contributing to cultural, social, and economic vitality and resilience in the district. TLCT was born to nurture, grow, and uplift our region through the arts.

2. Commissioning a cultural strategy for the arts

TLCT didn’t want to make any assumptions about what the district wanted or needed. Instead, they commissioned AEA Consulting to undertake an indicative cultural strategy for the Queenstown Lakes District. This provided detailed recommendations intended to further develop the district’s arts, culture and creative scene.

3. The Cultural Masterplan  

With extensive research and plentiful community feedback in hand, the district's first independent Cultural Masterplan was created in 2020. This included recommendations on how to support and develop the arts in the region, including by:

• building on the arts and culture we already have
• investing in our infrastructure
• investing in creative capacity
• ensuring that arts and culture were positioned to make their full contribution to civic life and economic development

You can find a full version of the Cultural Masterplan here.

4. The idea of Te Wāhi Toi is sparked

One of the outcomes from the Cultural Masterplan called for a coordinated virtual information and marketing platform for the artistic community. This would be a tool that allowed our creative community to network and collaborate, a tool that would become a leading source of information on all things arts and culture in our district. And so, the concept of Te Wāhi Toi was born.

5. Building Te Wāhi Toi

With careful thought, consideration, and extensive consultation with a wide team of people at TLCT and creative communities in our region, the details of Te Wāhi Toi began to take shape. The concept of the Creative Directory began to grow, stretching to include all our creatives as well as a comprehensive calendar of local events and a tool to find spaces for artists and performers. The creative design and developments soon commenced, and Te Wāhi Toi began to come together as the comprehensive resource it was initially imagined to be.

6. Launch

Nearly three years after the idea was first sparked, Te Wāhi Toi was brought to life as a free resource for our community.

 It’s been a journey, and we’re so excited to be standing where we are today, with our creative community behind us and our long-awaited creative directory before us. We’re thrilled to be sharing Te Wāhi Toi with the district and look forward to seeing the many faces, events and spaces that will fill its walls in the weeks, months and years to come.

This project could not have been realised without a huge collection of people supporting us along the way, in many different ways. Among those, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to:

• Our generous supporters, who believed in Te Wāhi Toi and its significance for our creative community right from the start. Without your contributions, Te Wāhi Toi would never have been realised.
  
  • Philippa Archibald
  • The Dick and Diana Hubbard Foundation
  • Youthtown
  • Queenstown Lakes District Council
    
    
• Lane Neave and Wānaka App who walked alongside us at various stages of our journey
  
  
• Feast Creative, who spent many hours working on the beautiful design you see today.
  
  
• NZ Digital, who laboured over every detail to create this custom-built site.
  
  
• The Three Lakes Cultural Trust Board of Trustees, both current and past, for having the drive to create this part of the master plan, and to support the journey to Te Wāhi Toi.
  
  
• The Three Lakes Cultural Trust Operation team, who have worked tirelessly to ensure every detail is considered.

And finally, to our creative community. From our youngest tamariki to our seasoned professionals, we are forever grateful for the vibrancy, joy and light you bring to our district. Te Wāhi Toi would not exist without you, and we feel incredibly privileged to be able to share such a comprehensive and accessible tool for arts, culture and creativity with you all. We hope you’ll enjoy your arts place.

Ehara taku toa, he takitahi, he toa takitini

My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but the success of a collective.

Cover photo: Photographer @amygalloway.photo captures @lumaqueenstown Laneways 2022