Rokowhiria Art & Heritage

Rokowhiria Art & Heritage is home to both the town’s art gallery and museum. The grand building on West Street, one of the main avenues across town, is hard to miss. Just keep an eye out for a white architectural structure with ochre features, and you’ve come to the right spot.

Upon stepping in, expect to be greeted by a friendly staff member and feel a sense of grandeur within the high-ceilinged space, with a few carefully curated pieces of art hinting at discoveries held deeper within the building. You will also be greeted by the Rokowhiria shop, where you can browse a curated selection of giftware, books, jewellery and art.

On the ground floor, you’ll find the museum. It holds exciting collections of historical pieces related to the Mid Canterbury region. Dive deep into the histories of Ashburton and beyond by exploring all there is to discover. A community-focused museum with plenty of interactive exhibits to keep both young and old visitors interested. While most collections are permanent, two temporary spaces keep things moving and hold varying exhibits throughout the year.

Upstairs, you’ll find three gallery spaces that showcase temporary art exhibitions, alongside a collections gallery which displays works from the Ashburton Art Gallery Inc. collection and Ashburton District Council Civic Art collection. 

Rokowhiria’s focus is to showcase local art, but from time to time, touring exhibits from other galleries are brought over to mix things up. You can expect to view different works by different artists in each gallery space, all of which rotate every few months.