A former head curator at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Dr Zara Stanhope, is stepping into the role as director of the country’s leading collection of national and international art.

The Australian-born director has criss-crossed the Tasman for the past 25 years, and most recently was the director of cultural enterprises at New Plymouth District Council, where she oversaw the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre.

She replaces Kirsten Lacy, who resigned in April as the gallery director after serving in the role for six years.

Stanhope’s appointment was announced today by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU), the council body that oversees the city’s cultural institutions.

Dr Zara Stanhope begins work at Auckland Art Gallery on March 2.

Chief executive Nick Hill said TAU looks forward to Stanhope shaping the next chapter of the gallery’s future, which one source close to the gallery took to mean shaking up the culture and performance of where the gallery needs to be.

In a statement, Stanhope said it was an honour to rejoin the gallery, where she was principal curator and head of programmes from 2013 to 2017, and begin the next phase of how the gallery could offer value locally, nationally and internationally while building on the exciting programme of exhibitions, educational activities and art-related events.

“I look forward to working together to ensure our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and uplifting artists of Aotearoa, Te Moana nui-a-Kiwa and our region within purposeful public programming and in the collection,” she said.

Over her career, Stanhope has curated more than 50 exhibitions, including New Zealand’s presence at the Venice Biennale in 2019 and led the Asia Pacific Triennials at QAGOMA in 2018 and 2021.

Stanhope co-edited the book, The Māori Portraits: Gottfried Lindauer’s New Zealand.

She holds a PhD from the School of Art and Social Sciences at the Australian National University, Canberra and has been the commissioning editor of books including Ann Shelton: Dark Matter (Auckland Art Gallery) and The Māori Portraits: Gottfried Lindauer’s New Zealand, co-edited with Ngahiraka Mason (Auckland University Press and Auckland Art Gallery).

When Stanhope starts work on March 2 she will be the fourth Australian-born director of the gallery in a row.

Her Australian predecessors were Chris Saines (1996-2013), Rhana Devenport (2013-2018), and Kirsten Lacy (2019-2025).

A gallery source noted that while several New Zealanders could have taken on the role, Stanhope’s strong background in the country and the respect she commands made her a fitting choice.