I hope you enjoyed the Toi Art Friends event last week. Two hundred and seventy-three members were treated to a first look at the re-opened arts area and listened to the interesting and informative floor talks from Isaac Te Awa, Athol McCredie, Justine Olsen, Lizzy Bisley and Hanahiva Rose. I know many of you also took the opportunity to have a quick wander around the space and are planning to return to admire the exhibits at a more leisurely pace.

Winter is a time to plan and contemplate what excursions you would like to take once it warms up a little. The Friends have curated a few out of town treats for you to think about. The Whanganui region is well known for its grand historic houses and luckily for us many of them are open to the discerning visitor or special group. If historic houses are not your thing, have a look at Dunedin Art and History Tour. This is a customised adventure celebrating everything Dunedin from the early settlers to the modern art galleries and innovative creative spaces.

If you are interested in going a little further afield, hot off the press is the 2026 Cambodia and Vietnam tour. Timed to coincide with the warm and sunny April/May period, it’s the ideal time for exploring the ancient and fascinating, learning about two distinct and unique cultures in a welcoming and beautiful part of the world. Between old houses, historic settlements, the Cu Chi tunnels or the Angkor temple the Friends and our team of expert travel agents have an adventure for you.

The Executive Committee works closely with the travel agents to make sure our Friends are front and centre in their planning. Each experience is a combination of Arts, History and Science. The agents work hard to make sure your needs are looked after and engage the best speakers and guides available to add depth to your tour. They are paid through the commissions they receive for accommodation and flights so it is important that they are able to make a return for all the hard work they put into curating these unique experiences. In addition, a small portion of each ticket is paid to the Friends and we use these funds to make sure we can offer you at-home experiences that are of the same quality and interest as we offer on our away tours. Happy planning for your spring and summer adventures.

I look forward to seeing you on the 20^th For the Johannes Vermeer lecture. At the time of writing we have 13 tickets left so be in quick. It’s a lecture you don’t want to miss. It would also be remiss of me not to mention our AGM on the 24^th. I hope to catch up with you over a glass of wine, and invite you to listen to our guest speakers and reflect on our activities over the past twelve months plus 0f course admire our new improved constitution.

Until then,

Kindest regards