The Hotere Museum represents the coming together of two worlds. This is celebrated through the layout of three intersecting rectilinear volumes. The centrally located Hotere Gallery, the International Gallery and the Aotearoa Gallery. The Hotere Gallery connects the other exhibition spaces, just as Hotere's art connects Aotearoa to the world.
Another key feature of the museum is the waka huia. The Hotere Gallery has a plain, unassuming exterior that protects a wealth of riches. Visitors begin in a bright atrium with a tantalising glimpse of the gallery beyond, where the lighting has been designed to allow the waka huia to fade into the darkness while the puipuiaki shines.