Catherine Mitchell Arts Centre

In the 1930s, a visionary local woman Catherine Mitchell set out to build an arts centre for the people of Waiheke. By 1952, the Catherine Mitchell Arts Society (as it was then known) was well established in her home at Onetangi.

On Catherine Mitchell’s death, her land and home were bequeathed to the community. When the management of the property became beyond the resources of the non-profit, in 1969 the Society accepted the offer of the Western Waiheke Roads Board to relocate the Society to Ostend.

A period of being temporarily rehoused led the Society to lobby the County and City Council for a permanent home, they were finally provided the current premises in ANZAC Reserve. The agreement remains that Auckland Council own and maintain the property in exchange for an affordable community lease.

Now known as the Catherine Mitchell Arts Centre, the legacy of a Waiheke woman’s determination to foster appreciation and enable accessibility of the arts for the benefit of all people still stands. We uphold her exceptional gift.