Whakairo Ora / Sculpture Live

Sculpture Live / Whakairo Ora Symposium 2025

Watch Te Whare Roto o Toi – Lake House Arts transform into an open-air sculpture studio this summer. Over two weeks, up to 25 artists from across Aotearoa will work and carve on site, creating small & large-scale sculptural works in real time.

Guided by the theme:

“He mokopuna taku iti, he tipuna taku rahi”
“I am a descendant, so I stay humble. I am also an ancestor, so what I do is important.”

Each artist will respond in their own way – honouring those who came before while shaping something new for those yet to come.

What to expect

Daily live carving and sculpture

Artists working with wood and recycled materials

Works in progress you can visit again and again as they evolve

Indoor exhibition in the Becroft Gallery during the symposium

Completed outdoor works on display over summer, with potential tour dates around Tāmaki Makaurau in 2026

 Celebration & Awards – Sunday 7 December, 4pm
Join us as we reveal the finished works and celebrate our artists with a total prize pool of $14,000, including:

Becroft Ultimate Award –
Runner Up
Localised Award (best use of recycled materials)
Three Highly Commended Awards –

 Where
Te Whare Roto o Toi – Lake House Arts, Barry’s Point Reserve, Takapuna

 When Symposium in action: 24 November – 6 December 2025
10am-4pm (please note this is on the grounds only – the house closes at 3pm)

Awards & Celebration: Sunday 7 December, 4pm

Come wander the grounds, watch the works emerge day by day, and experience the wairua of artists creating together in one special house with many lives.

SUPPORTED BY: The Becroft Foundation, Localised – Zero Waste Wairau – Devonport-Takapuna Local Board & Creative Communities NZ