Karl Chitham ONZM (Ngāpuhi, Te Uriroroi) has been a champion for the arts in New Zealand for 20 years. He is currently Director of the Dowse Art Museum, Head of Arts and Culture for Hutt City Council and has held various other roles across the arts including as a curator and educator. He has been an advocate of the arts and artists as a trustee and advisor for a number of organisations including Artists Alliance, Te Roopu Mana Toi an advocacy advisory for Creative New Zealand, Wairau Māori Art Gallery the first dedicated public Māori art gallery nationally, and most recently as the inaugural Ambassador for Barnardos Aotearoa. Karl has written for multiple arts publications including co-authoring the ground-breaking publication Crafting Aotearoa: A Cultural History of New Zealand and the Wider Moana Oceania and has been a selector and judge for dozens of national arts awards including the National Contemporary Art Award and the 2021 New Zealand at Venice Pavilion.