Programme co-director Emma Bugden on why Whanganui’s design culture is the sum of its parts, what to book first at Festival of Design Aotearoa, and where to find the best bagel in town.
What’s the one thing about the design culture of Whanganui that surprises people when they visit for the first time? The diversity. It’s all the things! Yes, there’s great architecture, from a brilliant modernist legacy to recent innovations in co-design, and yes, we have an abundance of galleries spilling over with creativity, but there’s all the less obvious elements, too. The carving school at Te Ao Hou marae, where new life is breathed into old stories, or the manufacturers on Heads Road designing products for export. Design here is the sum of its parts — you don’t clock it in a single landmark; it unfolds as you spend time here.
Four years on from the UNESCO designation, what made this the right moment to launch the Festival of Design? We’ve built solid foundations for the City of Design and it’s the right time to share that kaupapa. The festival highlights what’s special here locally, but also all the connections the city has, from design alumni scattered far and wide to our fellow cities of design around the globe. We want to welcome the world to Whanganui for a conversation that matters. Design gives us the tools to solve the urgent issues of our time, and this festival could not be more relevant.
What gives Whanganui the confidence to host something at this scale? It’s less about confidence and more about fit. We’re not New Zealand’s biggest design centre — we’re small but mighty, and we have something worth contributing. The Festival of Design Aotearoa is a national festival born from local identity. This is a celebration anchored in New Zealand’s only UNESCO City of Design, a city with design in its DNA, and built to reflect that identity proudly.
What will be different about your festival, compared to what people may imagine? They should expect a level of intimacy and connection. The city itself is your host. Whether you’re at the Designing Tomorrow Summit, at a show, or at Fun Palaces with your whānau, you’ll be part of the conversation, not just seeing it from a distance. We’ve curated the festival as a collision between ideas, disciplines and people who wouldn’t otherwise be in the same room. Over the opening weekend the whole city will activate, and you’ll feel all the parts of Whanganui coming together as a City of Design in a way that’s hard to replicate in a bigger centre.
What’s one thing on the programme you’re excited for people to experience? I’m excited to hear from Bo Stjerne Thomsen, head of educational impact for Lego in Denmark. Through our City
of Design Network, we get access to the most extraordinary global thinkers and changemakers. Lego has stayed at the forefront of innovation, not by endless new gimmicks, but by understanding how to unlock creativity through the simplest mechanism — a brick.
Local favourites: Emma’s tips for visiting Whanganui
Where is your favourite coffee spot? I had my first coffee at Article café when I moved here 10 years ago and keep going back for the quality brew, but also the community. Designers, artists, movers and shakers, politicians and dogs — they’re all found tucked around the big table.
What about a bite? I’d recommend Little Curious for a bagel with chickpea smash. It’s a cool building with an interesting past and the owners have found clever ways to carry that history into a beautifully refreshed site.
Best spot to pick up a keepsake? We’re known for our exceptional glass. Head to Katie Brown Glass on Drews Ave and, just around the corner, New Zealand Glassworks Te Whare Tūhua o Te Ao.
Favourite haunt for vintage finds? I don’t have to wander far from my house in Gonville to the City Furniture Exchange and, right next door, the local hospice shop. I’ve found the weirdest and best treasures there over the years.
When you’ve had your culture fix, where do you head for a walk? Out west to Bushy Park, a protected nature reserve where I’m guaranteed to see birdlife in abundance including hihi and tīeke.
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