Our Team

Zara has worked in lead curatorial and program roles in art galleries in Aotearoa and Australia including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Adam Art Gallery, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Heide Museum and Monash University Museum of Art. She is concerned with engaging communities with contemporary art through meaningful exhibitions, publications and creative dialogues in galleries and in public space, and an enabler of collaborations that foster connections and understanding through art across the South. Zara was the Lead Curator for New Zealand at Venice at the 58th La Biennale di Venezia, 2019 and The 9th and 10th Asia Pacific Triennials at QAGOMA. A writer and editor, she has a PhD from the Australian National University and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Art and Design at AUT University, Auckland and at RMIT University, Melbourne.

Antony is the Gallery’s Business Development Lead / Deputy Director, and has a background spanning economic development, regional tourism promotion, business development, political communications and arts marketing. Antony’s role covers functions relating to the successful and sustained operations and growth of the Gallery, its work, and the impact it is able to make on the communities it serves.

Paul has been the Gallery's Len Lye curator since 2013, responsible for exhibitions, collection development, and scholarship around New Zealand's most internationally acclaimed artist. Previously, Paul was Assistant Collection Manager (Photography) at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand.

Recent publications include The Long Dream of Waking (ed., Canterbury University Press) and Keep it Moving (Getty Conservation Institute). He is the editor of the Gallery’s STATEMENTS essay series including recent texts by Erika Balsom (King’s College) and Caleb Kelly (UNSW Art & Design).

Megan Tamati-Quennell is a leading curator and writer of modern & contemporary Māori & Indigenous art; a field she has worked in for three decades. She is currently Curator Modern & Contemporary Maori & Indigenous Art, at Te Papa Tongarewa. Her research interests include Māori modernism, Mana Wāhine Māori (Māori women artists of the 1980s and 1990s), The Māori Internationals (urban, avant-garde Māori artists of the 1990s), international Indigenous art and Indigenous art curatorial praxis.
Megan is of Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha Māori descent.

Simon contributes to the Gallery’s exhibition and public programs including research into and presentation of the Govett-Brewster collection. Previously, he was Assistant Curator at Enjoy Contemporary Art Space, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, the 2017 Blumhardt Foundation / Creative New Zealand Curatorial Intern at The Dowse Art Museum, Te Awakairangi Lower Hutt and co-facilitated artist-run initiative MEANWHILE. His research interests include queer art and politics in Aotearoa and his writing has been published around Aotearoa and Australia. Simon holds a Master of Arts in Art History through Victoria University of Wellington.

Megan is Assistant Len Lye Curator, supporting the Len Lye Curator in managing the Len Lye Foundation Collection, delivering exhibitions and contributing to research around the work of Len Lye. She is a graduate of Massey University’s Museum Studies program and has a decade’s experience working in collection management and programming in the GLAM sector. Prior to working at the Govett-Brewtser Art Gallery, Megan held collection based roles at Auckland Museum, the Imperial War Museum (London) and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Cambridge, UK).

Lisa leads our public programmes and the much-loved, extraordinary Govett-Brewster education team. Lisa brings more than 18 years of experience as a cultural manager working in government organisations, including the Head of Touring Exhibitions at ifa – the Institute for International Cultural Relations in Stuttgart/Germany, responsible for exhibition production and touring worldwide on behalf of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Lisa has a strong belief in the arts as a powerful facilitator for innovation and social change.

Elaine develops and delivers public programmes and nurtures gallery relationships with myriad community groups, exploring the best way to make exhibitions come alive and relevant –through artist talks, workshops, tours, and community conversations. Having worked at the Gallery since 2015, Elaine brings more than a decade’s experience of community engagement in Aotearoa and San Francisco. Prior, she mostly worked in the national USA public television network using documentary film to explore social justice issues.

Talofa lava, mālō e lelei, o lo’u igoa o Theresa Upulasi Tongi mai Moata’a, Vaie’e, Alamagoto ma Vailima, Samoa.

My role of Hoe Whanake Hōtaka - Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa - Pacific Public Programmes Coordinator, allows me the privilege to work closely with our Tangata o le Moana here in Ngāmotu. This position helps to provide opportunities for our communities to celebrate the Creative arts in ways that are relevant and bring value to them.

Theresa is a graduate of Elam Fine Arts, Auckland University and brings more than a decade’s experience of community engagement within the arts, education and disability sector in Aotearoa.

Kelly’s role is to carry out all procedures associated with the care, receipt and dispatch of art works from the permanent and loan collections and works on loan for exhibition, ensuring that the collection database is maintained accurately to provide correct research and registration information. Kelly oversees all loan documentation, freight and insurance arrangements of the art works. She arranges the photography of artworks for collection record; prepares condition reports of artworks; processes loan applications; and facilitates photography and copyright requests, incoming and outgoing.

Hannah oversees all things shop related including the selection of giftware, jewellery and books from new and existing suppliers, shop merchandise, collaborations and gallery wholesale stock orders. Hannah is your direct contact for supplier enquiries at the Govett-Brewster Shop.

Alastair’s role is to prepare and programme film content for our cinema, liasing with clients, artists, filmmakers and distributors to ensure the Gallery offers a wide ranging and entertaining film programme. Alastair also operates the projection and sound equipment for presentations and events.

Matt is our in-house graphic designer, with experience in both publication and digital he designs everything from slides in the cinema, artwork labels, to our advertising and communications collateral.

Kate provides financial management services and administration support to ensure the smooth and effective functioning of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre. She worked in a similar role for over a decade overseas before returning to her hometown New Plymouth to work for the Gallery in 2017.

Fran has worked at the Govett-Brewster since 2010; managing various projects and events as Business Support Officer and then Visitor Services Coordinator within the business development team. With previous experience in design and customer-focused roles across public and private sectors, Fran now manages the Gallery’s large-scale events, private venue hire and key stakeholder relations; seeking out new sponsors and supporters for a number of ongoing and future projects.

Jon oversees the general exhibition management and planning of the Govett-Brewster. His role includes liaising with contractors; artists and curators; procurement of equipment and materials; recruitment, training and coordination of the exhibition changeover team; crating design packaging and transportation of artworks and photography production for publications, publicity and records.

Murray's role involves the installation of artworks in the gallery spaces in whatever form, whether it be moving image, sculpture, painting, performance or sound. He is also responsible for the transportation of artwork, fabrication of supports and gallery furniture as well as wall building and painting. Murray also handles maintenance of the workshop and A/V equipment and liaising with contractors, artists and curators.

Mela’s role has a particular focus on technical AV projects; overseeing the installation and de-installation of art works, and maintaining exhibitions, projects, and audio visual solutions, as well as transportation of artwork, maintenance of the workshop and liaising with contractors; artists and curators.

Mela previously studied Film in Auckland and also Graphic Design in Melbourne. Prior to this role, she was Exhibitions Technician for six years at Puke Ariki, with a specialism in digital systems design and multi-media programming.

Chris oversees the day-to-day management of the Govett-Brewster’s current Ministry of Education funded Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) programme and has fun designing and implementing education programmes for all levels of students, the majority currently being used by primary school students and teachers. Chris also helps design and implement school holiday programmes and co-ordinates a weekly out-of-school-hours art programme for senior primary students. He advises educational groups and teachers about the resources, programmes and events available at the Govett-Brewster.

Rebecca works mainly within the Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) programme funded by the Ministry of Education, designing and implementing Govett-Brewster education programmes for pre-school to tertiary students. Rebecca helps young people learn very useful and cool stuff from some times ‘out there’ contemporary art. Primary school students and teachers are the most frequent education visitors but students come from all types of schools and have very different reasons for immersing themselves in the world of art. As a part of the education team Rebecca also helps design and run hands-on art making workshops every school holidays.

Whaea Dallas provides a fully immersed Te Reo Māori opportunity and space for Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) programme funded by the Ministry of Education. Whaea Dallas helps design and implement programmes for both Kura Kaupapa and Mainstream, as well as Kōhanga and preschool. Whaea Dallas’s background includes a Bachelor of Education, +6 years’ experience as a Kaiako in Kōhanga Reo and primary schools, as well as +10 years as a qualified Māori performing arts Kaiako in Taranaki. Whaea Dallas has a strong hononga to our local Iwi and Hapu of Taranaki and brings not only her educational skills but more importantly Te Reo me ōna Tikanga to the forefront of her everyday practice.

Ellie develops and delivers public programmes including Family Art, Seniors and Babes. She has worked for the Govett Brewster since 2015. She is a Young Visionaries tutor and supports the school holiday programme. Ellie’s background includes 5 years as a lecturer for Cambridge School of Visual and performing arts teaching A-level, and Art Foundation. She has worked on large scale installations in Singapore and South East Asia. She is also part of the exhibition team.