Wellington City Council Office Fit-out — 68 Jervois Quay (2026)
The Wellington City Council fit-out at 68 Jervois Quay transformed the city's new council building into a workplace grounded in the history and identity of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Working alongside artist Ngataiharuru Taepa and architect Matamoana Nuku from Designgroup Stapleton Elliott, Human Dynamo Workshop provided the specialist production expertise to realise four distinct artworks integrated within the space.
Collaborators:
Client: Wellington City Council
Lead Artist: Ngataiharuru Taepa
Supporting Artist: Kereama Taepa
Creative Production Partner: Human Dynamo Workshop
Acknowledgements: The wider fit-out also includes artworks by Veranoa Hetet and Glen Skipper
Situated within the Te Ngākau Civic Precinct, 68 Jervois Quay brings together around 1,200 Wellington City Council staff, councillors and visitors in the heart of the capital.
Working alongside artist Ngataiharuru Taepa, architect Matamoana Nuku and the wider Designgroup Stapleton Elliott team, Human Dynamo Workshop was engaged as Creative Production Partner to help realise four significant artworks integrated within the building — an opportunity to help create a space that reflects the history, culture and identity of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Boardroom ceiling whakairo
At the heart of the building is a large boardroom where a magnificent carved ceiling artwork, shaped like a waka, sits above those who gather there. Inspired by traditional whakairo (carving), the work draws upon the artistic traditions of Te Ātiawa — including ritorito and matakupenga patterns — bringing ancestral carving language into a contemporary setting.
Human Dynamo Workshop provided the specialist production expertise that enabled Ngatai's artwork to be realised in the space. Using digital modelling and precision CNC machining, we carved the work from thermally modified pine before meticulously hand-setting individually inlaid pāua discs, representing the stars in the night sky. The pāua also references the eyes of Papatūānuku (Sky Father), Ranginui (Earth Mother) and their children.
Wall cladding
Flowing through the offices is a carved timber installation, also designed by Ngataiharuru Taepa. The work embodies Pākati HaeHae patterns — a traditional Māori surface design pattern featuring a row of notched dog-tooth shapes (pākati) flanked by parallel grooved ridges (haehae).
The carvings reference the historic waterways that once flowed through Te Whanganui-a-Tara before entering the harbour, reconnecting the modern workplace with the landscape that has existed beneath it.
Entrance raukura
Three white feathers greet everyone who enters - Te Raukura, the symbol of Te Āti Awa Taranaki Whānui. The triple feathers carry peace, spiritual harmony, compassion, hope and the enduring bond between people and land. This welcome sets the tone for the rest of the building.
We also contributed to the delivery of sixteen inset figures can also be found around the building — more info coming soon.
Beyond the build
Embedded within Wellington's civic heart, these works will continue to welcome, teach and inspire for generations to come, ensuring the artist's vision - and the cultural knowledge it carries - remains part of Wellington's story.
Image credit: Magdalena Podbielkowska Bisley
