If you're in the city centre this week, why not take a moment to enjoy the array of art on display in public spaces, both new and old. From Silo Park to Britomart, Aotea Arts Quarter and more, check out our top picks below to get started.
Click here to view all public art across the city centre.
Māori art walks
Tuna kuwharuwharu (Long-finned eel)
Corner of Queen Street, adjacent to the Te Waihorotiu Station precinct
Designed by Ngāti Pāoa artists Chris Bailey and Sally Smith, honoring the legacy of the local taniwha Horotiu and the underground Waihorotiu stream.
Wāhine (Woman)
Corner of Victoria Street West, adjacent to the Te Waihorotiu Station precinct
Designed by artist Maihi, this structure depicts a female figure wearing a traditional korowai and offering a formal karanga (welcome) to pedestrians.
Maunga
By Shane Cotton | Corner of Customs Street East and Commerce Street in Britomart
The pot forms depicted in the artwork are a reference to objects that appeared in painted wharenui in 19th-century Aotearoa during a period of great experimentation in Māori art. Each pot bears the name of a different maunga (mountain) reinforcing the city centre's role as a place where people from around the country gather.
Horotiu
By Paraone Luiten-Apirana and Graham Tipene | Te Waihorotiu Station
Look up as you enter Te Waihorotiu Station and you'll see Horotiu, a dramatic ceiling installation inspired by the historic Waihorotiu Stream. The artwork combines golden raupō reeds and a carved kauri kaitiaki, celebrating the area's deep Māori heritage and connection to water.
A Māori Figure in a Kaitaka Cloak
By Molly Macalister | Corner Quay Street & Lower Queen Street
This monumental bronze statue of a dignified Māori man contrasted with the stereotypical image of a Māori warrior in a fighting pose. The result is a warrior clad in a prestigious kaitaka (fine cloak) of a rangatira (chief). He gazes skywards and holds a mere (traditional weapon), by his side in a peaceful stance.
Waharoa
By Selwyn Muru | Aotea Square, 291-297 Queen Street
Waharoa is a seven-metre-high gateway which stands at the entrance to Aotea Square, transforming it into a marae ātea (courtyard of a Māori meeting house). It provides cultural welcome to manuhiri (visitors) to the square.
Daldy Street Play Structure
By Hana Maihi, Delani Brown & LandLAB | Corner Daldy and Madden Streets, Wynyard Quarter
The artists guided the structure's architecture which is the form of a hīnaki (eel trap). Its circular arrangement, inner entry tube and netting design all replicate the forms of sticks, flax netting and cordage elements used in the traditional Māori traps.
Whai | 1 JUL - 27 SEP, 2026
By Janine Williams | Corner of Jellicoe and Beaumont Street at Wynyard Quarter
Inspired by the traditional Māori string game. Whai reflects the connection between ancient knowledge and contemporary innovation, evolving each season and reappearing in 2026 in a new configuration designed especially for Silo Park.
The Lightship | Until 28 FEB, 2027
By Ashleigh Taupaki, Ana Iti and Nova Paul | Auckland Waterfront
Stretching 110 metres across Bledisloe Wharf, standing 13 metres high and illuminated by approximately 8,500 LED lights, The Lightship has become one of Auckland's most distinctive public art experiences over the past six years, transforming working port infrastructure into a free outdoor gallery where art, industry and public life meet.
City centre murals
Oscar Low | Corner of Fort Street and Fort Lane
Witness the transformation of downtown Tāmaki Makaurau through Ross Liew's latest artwork—a captivating roller door piece that reflects over 15 years of artistic mastery. Situated in the heart of Te Waihorotiu, this mural draws inspiration from the surrounding environment, incorporating unique letterforms that resonate with the city's energy.
Margarita Vonva | 25 Victoria Street West
Keep an eye out for this stunning Japanese-inspired masterpiece by Margarita Vonva on Victoria Street West. This captivating artwork, abundant in intricate details and vibrant colours, pays homage to Japan's cultural richness. Whether enjoying a meal at Daikoku or simply strolling through Victoria Street, take a moment to admire this remarkable Japanese-inspired masterpiece.
Owen Dippie | 156 Victoria Street
Owen Dippie is a New Zealand street artist internationally recognised for his incredible large-scale murals. His latest masterpiece of UFC Middleweight Champion, Israel Adesanya can be found on Victoria Street and is well worth checking out!
(Top left: mural by Owen Dippie, top right: mural by Ross Liew, bottom: mural by Margarita Vonva)
On the water's edge
Te Wānanga
Te Wānanga is where the city meets the sea, it brings to life the breath of Tangaroa, the natural rhythm between high and low tides. Beautiful pōhutukawa trees recall the coastal forest that once was, while mussel beds and kelp forests below provide a restored habitat for native species beneath the waterline!
Te Ngau o Horotiu
Te Ngau o Horotiu (the bite of Horotiu) is named after the taniwha of Te Wai o Horotiu, the river that once flowed through this landscape from the top of Myers Park to the bottom of the Queen Street Valley. Te Wai o Horotiu is now hidden beneath Queen Street, but its significance and history are reflected in the local topography and city infrastructure.
Te Wairere
Te Wairere design appears throughout the waterfront space as a contemporary visualisation of manaia – a stylised figure often used in traditional Māori wood, stone and bone carving.
These city centre artworks are proudly commissioned by Auckland Transport.
(Top left and right: Te Wānanga, bottom: Te Wairere)
Te Hoahoa o ngā Maru – Canopy design
The sail-like canopy at Te Ngau o Horotiu references the sails of waka hourua on which our ancestors travelled to Aotearoa from their ancestral home – Hawaiki.
Ngā Paiherenga Rōau me ngā Haumi – Handrail Binding and Haumi Joints
Natural fibre is woven into these handrails in a binding design reminiscent of the toki used in the traditional crafting of waka. Haumi is a traditional fixing technique typically used to join together the length of a waka. This tradition has been used in the nōhanga of Te Wānanga as a further reflection of Te Wānanga as an “in-between” space that symbolises the binding together of tāngata, whenua, and moana.
More around the city centre
Te Maharatanga o Ngā Wai, Remembering our Waters | Sale Street
While many of the natural waterways that once flowed through Auckland’s city centre have been lost from sight, channelled, piped and progressively covered over, Te Maharatanga o Ngā Wai (Remembering our Waters) honours the streams that continue to flow beneath the city centre. Two laser-cut corten steel pourama (light columns) spill light through the lettering, casting kupu reo (words) onto the pavement with themes including kapua (cloud), ua (rain), awa (river) and moana (sea), reflecting the natural water cycle and carrying the message: oranga wai, oranga tāngata (healthy waters, healthy people).
Scan the QR codes on the pourama to hear a poem by celebrated New Zealand poet Hone Tuwhare, recited in both te reo Māori and English by the children of the young Māori leaders who helped deliver the project. Read more here.
CRL Te Waihorotiu Station | City Rail Link
Opening on 13 September 2026, Te Waihorotiu Station is set to become New Zealand's busiest rail station. Located beneath Albert Street in the heart of the city centre, the station's design reflects the area's cultural and environmental history. Hanging rods in the Wellesley Street entrance evoke the flow of the historic Waihorotiu Stream and the movement of people through the station, while a kaitiaki (guardian) form sits at the centre of the design.
Mai i ngā maunga ki te moana, Janine and Charles Williams | Amey Daldy Park
Wynyard Quarter's award-winning pump station in Amey Daldy Park has been transformed into a striking artwork inspired by Aotearoa's manu māori (native birds). Created by mana whenua artists Janine and Charles Williams, Mai i ngā maunga ki te moana (from the mountains to the sea) spans 12 metres high and 16 metres wide. Featuring 12 native bird species, the mural serves as a reminder of our role as kaitiaki (guardians) of the natural environment, with each manu facing its respective habitat, from forest and mountain landscapes to the coastline and moana. Read more about the work here.
Installations at Silo Park
Visit Silo Park and discover works by Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki artists Tessa Harris and Reuben Kirkwood. Harris' pavilion, Te Nukuao, draws inspiration from waka hourua sails and celebrates the deep connection mana whenua have with the land and waters of Tāmaki Makaurau, while providing shelter and a place to pause. Nearby, Kirkwood's etched concrete designs reference the stars used to navigate waka across the ocean and connect to other Māori artworks throughout Wynyard Quarter.
Sun Burst by Sara Hughes | Fort Lane
Part of the Hearts of the City public art programme, Sara Hughes' vibrant heart-shaped artwork has brightened Fort Lane since 2016. Drawing inspiration from Auckland's art deco architecture and heritage buildings, Sun Burst radiates colour, energy and optimism. Hughes describes the work as an explosion of everything life has to offer, with rays intended to be uplifting and life-affirming for passersby.
Iwi Rau by Sara Hughes | New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC)
The New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) is home to one of the country's most significant public artworks. Created by Auckland artist Sara Hughes, Iwi Rau (Many Leaves, One Canopy) wraps the building in hundreds of coloured glass panels inspired by the forms, textures and light of Aotearoa's native forests. The monumental installation transforms the convention centre into a vibrant urban landmark, bringing the feeling of walking beneath a forest canopy into the heart of the city. Together with Peata Larkin's adjoining ceramic artwork, the works span thousands of square metres across the NZICC façade, creating one of New Zealand's largest integrated public art projects.