The project was launched Friday 2nd May, at the Aotearoa Art Fair to a packed audience of over 100 people. The initial idea was from Aera Foundation’s Derek Handley who spoke at the event about the disconnection we have from ourselves and how technology is changing our world so dramatically. “If you think the difference between the last 1,000 years was significant, it will be nothing on what we experience in the next 1,000 with technology embedded into our brains, even into our eyes. Sitting on a Bench, I hope will be a simple act of being human, reminding us of who we are.”  

Paererewā — the 1,000-year bench project — has been launched to create thresholds between the everyday and something deeper. 

UK Architect of Nebbia, Madhav Kidao, visited New Zealand to speak at the Auckland Art Fair alongside Johnson, Handley and Fukutake.

The project learns from the famous Benesse Art Site Naoshima, started by Hideki Fukutake’s grandfather. “Public seating may seem simple, yet it profoundly shapes how we engage with our environment,” Fukutake said. “Paererewā continues the philosophy of place-based impact that has defined projects like Benesse Art Site Naoshima. Each Pae marks a threshold — an intersection of time, history, and human experience, inviting connection between the past, present and future.” 

The project will see the creation of 1,000 places to sit or rest, each designed to endure for 1,000 years across Aotearoa. Each Pae promotes a location for reflection on long-term thinking. A charitable trust dedicated to commemorating people, stories, places, and important historical events, Paererewā brings together leading designers, makers, artists, historians, tangata whenua, and a unique model of place-based philanthropy to create a network of places of reflection throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

The core kaupapa is encouraging long-term thinking and reflection. Anyone can initiate a Pae, but a core part of the model is a place-based philanthropic model that supports the Pae into the future with earnings forever paid to a volunteer group to care for the bench.“I’ve organised hundreds of volunteer projects to care for benches, playgrounds or spaces that have been forgotten about,” Johnson said. “The place-based philanthropic model for Paererewā, I hope, will help the Pae and the area around it be cared for in the long-term future. This is an enduring model of giving and a new way to leave a bequest in your will for something very meaningful. By establishing a sustainable funding mechanism, we ensure that these spaces remain cared for far into the future.” Paererewā will be spread throughout the country, from urban sites to the remote backcountry. Many will be in sites of historical, cultural, ecological or geological significance.

Each Pae is conceived through a rigorous curatorial process, ensuring site-specificity, cultural significance and material durability. The independent Curatorial Board, chaired by Heather Harris — former COO of the Australian Museum and Director of Collections at the V&A Museum — ensures the integrity and vision of the project. The board also includes Objectspace Director Kim Paton, a leading voice in contemporary design. “Chairs and benches are among the most fundamental design objects,” Paton said. They carry stories of how we live, the ways that we value function and form, and the means by which we gather as communities. Paererewā builds on this tradition, creating spaces that are both practical and poetic — public places with deep meaning that invite us to pause.” 

Paererewā has established an initial panel of designers from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines, including architects, artists, craftspeople, industrial designers, ceramicists and landscape architects. The panel, created with curatorial advice from Objectspace, includes emerging, early-career and incredibly senior designers. 

The initial panel of 25 continues to expand and includes: Māori artist Carin Wilson, recipient of the 2025 New Zealand Arts Laureate, known for his cross-disciplinary work in design and furniture-making; Nebbia, an international architecture studio that was supported by the British Council to be involved in the project as a gesture of friendship to Aotearoa; Jaime Jenkins, a sculptor predominantly working with clay, based in Mount Maunganui; Multidisciplinary metal furniture maker Leon McKay, who established top studio SAINTLEO. 

Paererewā is backed by STILL — a community of remarkable businesses and cultural enterprises from Aotearoa, New Zealand. STILL embraces new ways of seeing the world and supports initiatives that amplify the human experience, including the World of WearableArt, National Candles and a range of landscape and design companies. Anyone can propose a Pae location.

For a site to move forward, it requires the backing of a lead donor, sponsor, landowner or community leader. Thanks to the support of STILL, a number of charitable sites will progress each year in partnership with community groups. 

To learn more or suggest a location click here.