Chief Executive

Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers; Auckland; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre in Ōtautahi Christchurch seeks a visionary Chief Executive to guide the next chapter of one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most significant cultural precincts.

Reporting to the Trust Board, you will lead creative programming, visitor experience, education, tenancies, and commercial activities, shape strategy and partnerships, and energise a high‑performing team to realise a civic and economic impact.

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience.
• Proven ability to drive strategy and activation.
• Experience securing philanthropic funding and partnerships.
• Strong communication across diverse stakeholders.
• Genuine commitment to Te Tiriti-based partnership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the shift from restoration towards activation and civic impact.
• Connect heritage, creativity, education, commerce and community into one city narrative.
• Set and achieve financial, commercial and organisational objectives, including growth in earned income alongside philanthropic support.
• Inspire, enable and empower a high performing team.

Skills

Senior leadership experience

Strategic vision

Entrepreneurial mindset

Commercial acumen

Partnership and philanthropy

Stakeholder management

Excellent communication

Te Tiriti partnership

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field

Job description

The appointment of the next Chief Executive of Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre is a defining leadership decision for Ōtautahi Christchurch and few roles in the country carry a mandate of this scale. Its restoration stands as one of the largest undertaking of its kind anywhere in the world and is now substantially complete. Are you the leader to define the next chapter of one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most significant cultural precincts?

To Kaitono ā Mātou | Our Client

Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre occupies the city block bounded by Worcester Boulevard, Rolleston Avenue, Hereford Street and Montreal Street, in the heart of Christchurch. Home to Canterbury College and the University of Canterbury for a century until 1974, the site has been held since 1978 by a charitable trust and is governed by The Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Board under its own Act of Parliament. Following the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, a restoration programme approaching $290 million, the largest heritage restoration of its kind anywhere in the world, is now substantially complete across the 23 Category 1 heritage buildings on the site. The Arts Centre is a complex hybrid organisation: a cultural institution, a heritage asset, a commercial property owner, a visitor attraction, an education and community organisation but also a civic and economic asset for the city. More than 70 galleries, museums, retailers, eateries and creative operators occupy approximately 47 tenancies, alongside a gallery, cinema, artist studios, education programmes, walking tours, venue hire and a public events programme. In 2025 the precinct was nominated by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga for National Historic Landmark status.

For more information, please visit: www.artscentre.org.nz

Ngā Whakararuraru Matua | Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Trust Board, you will lead Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre towards a chapter beyond its restoration, across creative programming, visitor experience, education, commercial tenancies, venue hire and retail. This calls for confident choices about where the organisation concentrates its effort, along with crafting the story behind it to bring your team and the wider community with you. Beyond the precinct, you will carry the relationships on which its future depends, across Council, Central Government, mana whenua, philanthropic funders and the people of Ōtautahi Christchurch. Key to your success will be:

• Leading the shift from restoration towards activation and civic impact
• Connecting heritage, creativity, education, commerce and community into one narrative for the city and the country
• Setting and achieving financial, commercial and organisational objectives, including growth in earned income alongside philanthropic support
• Inspiring, enabling and empowering a high performing team

To view the Position Description please copy and paste this link to your web browser: https://bit.ly/4hyzOdN

Ō Pukenga me Ō Wheako | Your Skills and Experience

To succeed in this role, you will bring significant senior leadership experience, vision and an entrepreneurial instinct for what the precinct could yet become. You are commercially astute and trusted in the rooms where partnership and philanthropy are won, leading boldly with the political radar a public role demands, while being curious about the arts and what creative practice requires to flourish. As a natural connector and confident communicator, you can move credibly between a council chamber, a donor's living room and a school group in the quad. You will also bring a genuine commitment to Te Tiriti-based partnership, in an organisation carrying a name gifted by Ngāi Tūāhuriri and will be energised by the purpose of this extraordinary place.

To view the Candidate Briefing Pack please copy and paste this link to your web browser: https://bit.ly/3UZAG2l

Ki te Tono | To Apply

Few places mean as much to a city as this one and few appointments offer the chance to shape what comes next. If you would like to lead the next chapter of Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre, we welcome your application, along with the experience you would contribute.

Applications close at 5pm on Sunday 11 October.