PÃÂtaka Museum of Arts and Cultures, often stylised as PÃÂtaka Art + Museum, is a municipal museum and art gallery in Porirua City, New Zealand. Te Marae o Te Umu Kai o Hau is the name of the building where PÃÂtaka is located and opened in 1998. It also houses the Porirua City Library, a privately run cafe and a Japanese garden.
In 1980 the Porirua Museum opened and by 1997 had outgrown its Takapà «wÃÂhia site. At the same time, the Mana Community Arts Council wished to expand their community art gallery located on the corner of Parumoana and Norrie Streets. The two organisations amalgamated moving into the newly renovated and expanded site in 1998.
Bob Cater co-founded Page 90 which became PÃÂtaka and was awarded the Queen's Service Medal, and Darcy Nicholas was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, in part for their roles in establishing the museum. The name PÃÂtaka is a MÃÂori language word meaning 'storehouse'. The purpose of PÃÂtaka is to show contemporary MÃÂori and Pacific arts. It also shows other New Zealand arts.
Architecture + was the architectural firm that designed PÃÂtaka. They transformed a 1970s office building that already housed the Porirua City Library, Whitireia's performance space and Page 90 gallery.
PÃÂtaka has galleries with changing exhibitions. The Bottle Creek Gallery is for community and local artists. Other galleries are the Front Gallery, West Gallery, the Maude & Miller Gallery and the Daylight Gallery. The Daylight Gallery has a semi-permanent exhibition about NgÃÂti Toa Rangatira, the local MÃÂori iwi (nation or tribe) called Whiti Te RÃÂ!
PÃÂtaka Art + Museum has an atrium the full length of the building that also connects the Porirua Library, reception, shop, cafÃÂ, performing arts studio, and meeting and events rooms and an outside courtyard with a Japanese garden.
PÃÂtaka has won a number of awards: