Roger's Tatooart is New Zealand's longest standing working tattoo studio, located at 198A Cuba Street in Te Aro, Wellington. The shop traces its history back to 1970, when Roger Ingerton first started tattooing, working alongside Kevin Gray at a studio on Vivian Street before taking it over in 1974 and moving it to its current Cuba Street location in 1977, where it has operated ever since.
Roger Ingerton, born in Wellington in 1939, discovered tattooing while serving in the merchant navy, where he was exposed to Polynesian and Japanese tattoo traditions. After time in Sydney drawing designs for tattooist Wally Hammond and running his own part-time studio in Bondi, he returned to New Zealand and eventually settled at 198 Cuba Street, establishing 'Tatoo Art By Roger.' He was featured in tattoo publications worldwide, including Ed Hardy's book "Tattoo Times — New Tribalism," and is credited with helping put New Zealand tattooing on the map internationally.
Roger retired in 2009, passing the shop to longtime friend and tattooist Tom Downs, who had worked alongside Roger and his wife Meg since 2002. Tom preserved the shop for 16 years before passing it on to Dre Rock in April 2025. Dre, in the tattoo industry since 2006 and a long-time friend of both Roger, Meg and Tom, has taken on the mission of preserving the shop's history while carrying its legacy forward for new tattooers and clients alike. Roger's original art and flash still line the studio's walls, and it remains available to be tattooed today.
On Cuba Street in Wellington's Te Aro, Roger's Tatooart holds a title no other shop in the country can claim: New Zealand's longest standing working tattoo studio, tattooing continuously from the same tradition since the early 1970s.
The studio's story starts with Roger Ingerton, born in Wellington in 1939 and raised in Brooklyn. Roger's path to tattooing was anything but direct — he first studied architecture, then joined the merchant navy, where he encountered Polynesian and Japanese tattoo traditions from practitioners who were famously secretive about their craft. Time as a rigger in Jamaica and later in Sydney followed, where Roger began drawing designs for tattooist Wally Hammond before opening his own part-time studio in Bondi.
An accident on a rigging job brought Roger back to New Zealand in 1972, where he worked alongside Kevin Gray at a studio on Vivian Street in Wellington. After a stint tattooing in Auckland alongside Merv O'Connor at Studio 91, Roger returned to Wellington in 1974 and took over Kevin Gray's studio as Kevin retired. In 1977, Roger moved the shop to 198 Cuba Street and established 'Tatoo Art By Roger' — the same address the studio operates from today.
At the time, tattoos carried a very different reputation — seen largely as marks for seamen and "hoods" rather than accepted art. With no access to the equipment tattooists needed, Roger made his own tools to service his machines and inks. He also kept up his art studies through the decade, exhibiting paintings and drawings in galleries alongside his tattoo work. His profile grew internationally, and he was featured in tattoo publications around the world, including as a featured artist in Ed Hardy's book "Tattoo Times — New Tribalism," helping put New Zealand tattooing on the international map.
Roger retired from tattooing in 2009, handing the shop to longtime friend and tattooist Tom Downs, who had worked alongside Roger and his wife Meg since 2002. Roger passed away in 2015, but Tom kept the studio exactly as Roger had left it for 16 years, honouring his legacy. In April 2025, Tom passed the shop on again, this time to Dre Rock — who has been in the tattoo industry since 2006 and knew Roger, Meg and Tom personally for many years. Dre made the decision to renovate the studio into a more modern space while keeping its traditional feel intact; Roger's original art and flash still hang on the walls, and remain available to be tattooed by the current team.
Roger's Tatooart is currently home to resident artists Tom, Derek and Zeir, alongside part-time artists John, who works Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Joseph. The studio's work leans into bold, traditional tattoo styles — dragons, snakes, roses, daggers and fierce, monstrous faces feature heavily in the studio's portfolio, alongside more contemporary custom pieces.
Roger's Tatooart is open seven days a week and welcomes walk-ins — if you'd rather not book ahead, you can simply walk in and have a chat with one of the artists. For those who prefer to plan, appointments can be booked online, and enquiries can be made by phone or email. The studio also sells its own merchandise, including Roger's-branded t-shirts and a crewneck sweatshirt featuring the shop's dragon logo and "Est. 1977" branding.
As Roger himself put it: "I am in the service industry, and I am at your service" — a philosophy that Roger's Tatooart continues to carry into its next chapter under Dre Rock's stewardship.