The Anna Bidwill Foundation.
The Foundation.
Rototāwai is administered by the Anna Bidwill Foundation; a charitable trust established by Anna to develop and make available Rototāwai and her collection. Over time, it is the intention of Rototāwai to offer more - including intimate music events, facility for functions, exhibitions of New Zealand Artists – and in time the hosting an ‘artist in residence’ program.
Our Vision.
The vision of the Anna Bidwill Foundation is to promote the creative Arts of New Zealand – as part of doing so, we have made a private art collection and one of the Wairarapa’s iconic homesteads and adjacent gardens available for the enjoyment of the general public.
Our Activity.
The Collection and gallery are open to the public. Gallery admission, events, donations and future exhibitions will help to support the Foundation in its quest to promote the interests of the art world and assist with the ongoing development of Rototāwai.
Rototawai development.
Rototāwai has been in the Bidwill family for generations - the estate was purchased from the Bidwill family by Anna’s parents and was her childhood home. Anna’s father subsequently sold the property and it had been out of family ownership for 33 years – until Anna repurchased the property in 2020 in order to develop the Homestead, Gallery and Gardens.
Anna Bidwill.
Anna has been a collector of art for over 50 years. The permanent collection is hung in the public rooms throughout the lower floor of the Rototāwai Homestead.
Rototāwai has provided the Anna Bidwill Foundation with the perfect venue to share a private art collection with the general public and to do so in a rural setting that also evokes family & South Wairarapa history.
The development of the Rototāwai collection and refurbishment of the rooms that house the collection has been a project of passion for Anna Bidwill and her team at the Anna Bidwill Foundation.
While the full collection cannot be presented at Rototawai, the new exhibition space hosts changing exhibitions, a shop and be an additional venue for events.
“When buying Art, I have always bought from the heart, trusting in my own instincts, enjoying a sense of humour, minimalism and figurative work that connects me to people in their stories.
The collection is eclectic, it has never been planned or calculated – nor has it been about investment…it has just evolved over time.”
Anna Bidwill | March 2025
The collection as a whole, and the works in the gallery at Rototawai, celebrate a wide variety of New Zealand artists.
Make a donation.
By making a donation to Rototawai, you are helping support the acquisition of future artworks as well as contributing to the ongoing management and maintenance of the Gallery, Homestead and Gardens.
