CoCA, the Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki, is a free contemporary art gallery at 66 Gloucester Street in the Central City. It was formed in 1880 as the Canterbury Society of Arts, and it is the oldest arts institution in New Zealand. Today it runs a programme of changing exhibitions and community events that connect artists with the people of Waitaha Canterbury.
The building has three main spaces. Ō Papa Gallery downstairs hosts the main free exhibition programme. Ō Raki Gallery upstairs is the first-floor gallery. The One Wall annex gives artists a public wall to show work. Each year the gallery holds a student and emerging artists' showcase called Whakawhanaungatanga, and an open call invites proposals from artists for the Ō Papa Gallery and One Wall programmes.
We hear the Canterbury Museum Pop-Up is currently on show in the upstairs gallery, with collection highlights while the museum is redeveloped.
Visitors say entry is free, the staff are helpful, and the exhibitions are worth a visit. One visitor who came for a ceramics show enjoyed seeing the range of styles. The area around the building has a café and food vans, and a small artisan market runs nearby, so some people make a day of it.
Hours are Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
Our pick in the Central City for an afternoon of free contemporary art.
On Gloucester Street in the heart of Ōtautahi Christchurch sits an institution that has been at the centre of art-making in Waitaha Canterbury for well over a century. CoCA — the Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki — traces its roots to 1880, when it began life as the Canterbury Society of Arts. It was the first organisation in the city to exhibit and collect works of art, and today it remains the oldest arts institution in New Zealand. That history matters here, but step inside and you'll find something very much alive: a rolling programme of free contemporary exhibitions, changing every few weeks, built around artists from Waitaha and across Aotearoa.
The gallery's home is itself a piece of art history. In the 1960s, the Canterbury Society of Arts went out to the people of Canterbury to fundraise for a purpose-built gallery, and in 1968 the result opened its doors: a bold modernist building designed by Minson, Henning Hansen and Dines, and a major work of the Christchurch Brutalist style championed by that generation of local architects. The building has received architectural awards and remains one of the best examples of the Christchurch modern style, housing two galleries — the downstairs Ō Papa Gallery and the upstairs Ō Raki Gallery.
It has also survived hard times. The building suffered significant damage in the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, closing in February 2011 for strengthening, repair and refurbishment. Four years and a $4 million refurbishment later, it reopened as CoCA Toi Moroki Centre of Contemporary Art. In 2021 the gallery partnered with Objectspace to present four seasons of exhibitions, then paused to consult widely with its community. Out of that process came a re-imagined role, and since 2023 CoCA has positioned itself firmly as a gallery that serves its local community.
CoCA's programme moves quickly — exhibitions typically run for a few weeks each, so there is often something new to see. Recent and upcoming seasons have included Counterbalance, a fundraising exhibition featuring Oliver Perkins' 'Fig'; the Student Group Show 'Whakawhanaungatanga 2026'; E lē galo le tai // The tide is never forgotten, curated by Brown Town; Chevron Hassett's Boy, Away From Home, exploring Māori male identity; Jess Nicholson's Ka maumahara te uku (the clay remembers); CHOMP: The Paste-ups of Earwig Magazine, curated by Claudia Long; There is (no) Anthropocene; and Made in Palestine, presented by Emily Hartley-Skudder, Pinky Fang and Nathan Taare. Alongside the main galleries, the One Wall programme — an annex wall measuring 2620mm by 2320mm — gives artists a dedicated, highly visible platform.
Upstairs, CoCA is also hosting another institution. With the Canterbury Museum's Rolleston Avenue site under redevelopment, the Museum's Pop-Up occupies the first-floor Ō Raki Gallery, offering a changing exhibition programme alongside collection highlights and visitor favourites from the permanent galleries. It's an unusual arrangement — two of the city's cultural taonga under one modernist roof — and it makes the building an easy one-stop visit for anyone spending a day in the city centre.
CoCA describes its vision as a thriving home for art and culture in Waitaha, igniting connections between artists and community — and that ethos shapes how it operates. The gallery is governed by the Canterbury Society of Arts Charitable Trust and guided by values of manaakitanga, collaboration and boldness. It is committed to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te ao Māori values, and acknowledges Ngāi Tūāhuriri iwi as mana whenua of this takiwā. Its 'Proudly Waitaha' principle means the art practice and stories of Canterbury artists are prioritised, while its equitable access work aims to build bridges for under-served artists and communities.
As a charitable trust, CoCA keeps its exhibitions and events free, relying on contestable government funding — Creative New Zealand and Christchurch City Council are principal funders — along with corporate partners, trusts, foundations, individual donors and a large volunteer crew. For artists, the gallery runs an annual Open Call inviting proposals for the Ō Papa Gallery exhibition programme and the One Wall programme, with submissions typically open through September.
The Ō Papa Gallery is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm, closed on public holidays. The Ō Raki Gallery, home to the Canterbury Museum Pop-Up, keeps longer hours: 9am to 5.30pm daily from October to March, and 9am to 5pm from April to September. You'll find CoCA at 66 Gloucester Street in Christchurch Central, and you can keep up with the latest news and events through its newsletter or on Facebook and Instagram. Whether you have twenty minutes between appointments or an afternoon to spare, a visit offers a genuine look at what contemporary art in Aotearoa looks like right now — much of it made by artists living and working in Canterbury.