Our curators
The 2026–27 Exhibition curatorial panel
Linda Tyler, Terry Urbahn, and Olivia Haddon bring their expertise to the 2026–27 exhibition. They follow on from the 2024–25 panel, which selected 15 artworks from a wide range of submissions.
Linda Tyler
Linda Tyler studied art history at the Universities of Canterbury and Auckland and completed her PhD on nineteenth-century botanist and museum worker John Buchanan, and her MA on émigré architect Ernst Plischke. She is currently the convenor of Museums and Cultural Heritage at the University of Auckland. As a curator, her recent projects include Tākiri: an unfurling, an exhibition of contemporary Māori art at the New Zealand Maritime Museum, and a small exhibition of early works by Anne Hamblett for Michael Lett Gallery in Auckland. Linda has been a co-curator of Sculpture in the Garden since 2015 and really enjoys working with the artists, the Friends of the Gardens, and the Botanic Gardens staff.
Terry Urbahn
Terry Urbahn studied Fine Art at the Universities of Canterbury and has maintained an art making practice that has included painting, sculpture, installation, moving image and sound. His work is held in many public and private collections including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Terry also works as a Project Manager realising numerous major projects and events and is currently Arts and Culture Project Manager for Auckland Council Public Art. Terry was one of the curators for the 2018/2019 Sculpture In The Gardens.
Olivia Haddon
Olivia Haddon works at the intersection of Māori identity, art, and the built environment. She is the author and curator of Te Paparahi Toi: Māori Art Walks in the City, a guide celebrating Māori public art and artists within the city centre of Tāmaki Makaurau. Her own creative practice has been acknowledged as an early contribution to the evolving landscape of contemporary digital Māori art. As part of Auckland Council’s Urban Design team, Olivia has collaborated with Mana Whenua to weave cultural narratives and identity into significant civic infrastructure projects including Quay Street, Te Wānanga public space, and the Downtown Ferry Infrastructure Te Ngau ō Horotiu. Her curatorial approach centers on relationships between people and place, creating opportunities for Māori art and design to shape and enrich public space.
Gallery Curator
The Huakaiwaka Indoor Gallery represents the artists who are exhibiting in the outdoor exhibition, artists who have previously exhibited outdoor and others by invitation. This jigsaw puzzle of a role is expertly handled by our gallery curator Cheryl Wright. She is an artist and the owner of Art Industry gallery. Her experience with managing galleries, her rapport with artists and knowledge of the arts makes her an ideal curator. Cheryl is married to sculptor James Wright, and together they have both had a long association with the Auckland Botanic Gardens.