Multiple colorful abstract paintings arranged in a semi-circle indoors, with large windows showing trees outside.

A WEEKEND TO ENJOY ART IN THE RANGES

Open Studios Waitākere

Artist: Helen Dean

Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 November 2026

Open Studios Waitākere 2026 will take place on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th November.

This annual event is your chance to explore the artistic heart of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area. Over one inspiring weekend, more than 80 local artists will open their studio doors to the public, from Piha to Parau, Henderson to Huia.

Meet painters, sculptors, jewellers, illustrators, ceramic artists, photographers, and more. See where the magic happens, engage with artists about their creative process, and enjoy a rich offering of exhibitions and workshops along the way.

About

Sign Up to Be an Artist

Calling Waitakere Ranges-based artists and creatives

If you live or work in the Waitakere Ranges Local Board area and have a studio space you’d like to open for the event, we’d love to hear from you.

Open Studios Waitakere is open to all types of creative practitioners – from painters and printmakers to ceramicists, sculptors, textile artists, photographers, designers, and beyond.

We’re looking for makers who are ready to share their work professionally with the public, and who want to be part of a well-supported, high-quality event.

Taking part is free. Every participating studio receives:

A listing in the printed event brochure and map
A dedicated artist page on this website and inclusion in the self-guided digital art trail
Brochures and posters to share within your local area
Event signage for your studio, with additional wayfinding signs available on request
A marketing workshop and resources to help you promote your studio
Promotion through our newsletters, social media channels and PR campaign

The registration form takes approximately 15 minutes, and you can save your progress and return to it later.

Artist registrations closed Friday 4 September 2026, However we may be able to still include you in the programme - please get in touch with us.

Contact

Map of Waitākere with icons of different trees and parks, showing event area for open studios, supported by Waitākere Ranges Local Board.

The Map

Open Studios Waitākere covers the entire Waitākere Ranges Local Board area, from Piha and Te Henga in the west to Glen Eden and Oratia in the east, and from Swanson in the north to Huia and Parau in the south.

To take part you need to live or work within this area. If you are not sure, check using Auckland Council’s Find Your Local Board tool, or view/download the PDF version of our Map.

If your studio sits just outside the boundary, email us anyway and we will let you know where things stand

Find Your Local Board

map as pdf

Two minimalist ceramic bowls with three-legged bases, one in light beige and one in dark gray, placed on a white surface against a plain light background.

Multiple prints of landscape paintings showing a cloudy sky, trees, and a distant hill.

Person holding a Damascus steel knife with a wooden handle.

Four ceramic cups with wooden spoons inside are placed on a wooden tray on a white textured surface.

Close-up of a person's neck with a silver jewelry necklace featuring claw-shaped links, wearing a beige shirt.

Waterfront landscape with grassy hills and rocky formations by the ocean.

Bare, leafless trees in a desert landscape with sand dunes in the background under a clear sky.

Person placing a round black sticker with the text 'oak' onto a printed material on a white desk.

Meet some of our past artists

We met up with some of the artists who took part in previous Open Studios. Here’s what they had to tell us about their lives, their work and living in West Auckland.

Meet Mandy Patmore

Mandy Patmore is a multi-media environmental artist who lives in Karekare. Mandy has a passionate relationship with her local environment. Her current work focuses largely on deforestation and habitat loss in New Zealand, and the plight of many endangered native species.

Film by Conan Fitzpatrick

Learn more

For over three decades Daniel Blanshard has been an Artist in continuous experimentation of classical makery and etheric light play. His recent 'Radiance' series of brass and copper discs are the culmination of years of slow deliberate experimentation in which he has honed his own unique technique of art makery, crafting more like a jeweller, engraver, or blacksmith working with the scale of sculpture to activate the retro reflective play of light.

Daniel is in demand with art commissions across the globe.

‘To bring these works to life is not only a calling but a privilege an opportunity to activate the light'
Daniel Blanshard.

It's such a delight to have Daniel involved in the Open Studios Waitākere event again this year.