Auckland Art Gallery to charge international visitors $20 entry fee

As of Monday, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki will begin charging international visitors an entry fee. Photo credit: Getty

As of Monday, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki will begin charging international visitors an entry fee.

Tourists will have to pay $20 each, with a concession rate of $17 for international students with ID.

Entry for all children aged 12 and under will remain free.

Council funding for the gallery has been cut in recent years, with its operational budget falling from $9 million in 2014-15 to $6.9m for the current year.

That's despite visitor numbers passing 520,000 last year, or 116 percent of its annual target.

Visitor satisfaction is also high, sitting at 90 percent, according to Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA), through which the gallery's public funding is provided.

The funding cuts also come in spite of a 50 percent increase of exhibition space since the gallery's facilities and responsibilities were significantly expanded in 2012 to meet the needs of the super city.

In December, Auckland Art Gallery said it had tried new fundraising avenues to cover shortages - including new membership schemes, more corporate sponsorship and paid gallery tours among others - but was left contemplating "more significant changes".

Those changes will come into action on Monday.

New Zealand residents, along with Auckland Art Gallery members, will continue to get free entry.

Newshub. 

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