Documentary Screening: Maurice and I
To mark the Auckland launch of Works of Art Live Auction catalogue exhibition, Webb’s is hosting a special, complimentary screening of the documentary Maurice and I (2024) about the creative partnership between Maurice Mahoney and Sir Miles Warren.
This event acknowledges the presence of several works from the private collection of the late Sir Miles Warren within the catalogue—an architect whose influence on the built environment of Aotearoa is difficult to overstate.
Maurice and I charts the remarkable professional and personal partnership between Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney, the Christchurch architects whose work fundamentally reshaped New Zealand’s architectural identity during the 1960s and 70s.
Through a combination of archival material, interviews and historical reflection, the film revisits the emergence of a distinctly local strain of modernism—one that drew on international brutalist principles while responding to the textures, climate and cultural sensibilities of New Zealand.
The story begins with an unlikely pairing. Warren and Mahoney met as teenagers at Christchurch’s architectural Atelier. Warren, raised in the affluent suburb of Fendalton and educated at Christ’s College, was socially confident and outward-facing; Mahoney, who emigrated from London’s East End as a child before the Second World War, was quieter, meticulous, and intensely focused. Their differences proved catalytic. Warren became the visionary and public advocate, while Mahoney, endowed with exceptional draughtsmanship, translated ideas into precise architectural form. Their partnership—often described as that of “creator and maker”—produced some of the most influential buildings in twentieth-century New Zealand.
Over three decades, Warren & Mahoney forged a bold architectural language in Christchurch, rejecting the city’s attachment to Georgian and neo-Gothic revival styles in favour of muscular modernism.
Their magnum opus, the Christchurch Town Hall (1972), became the city’s cultural “living room.” After the devastating 2011 earthquakes, which destroyed much of their legacy, the building’s fate sparked a fierce debate over demolition or restoration. This documentary is a painstakingly researched and filmed ode to Warren & Mahoney and an unparalleled glimpse at the creative process and personalities of one of New Zealand’s most successful architectural couplings.
Maurice and I — Documentary Screening
Saturday 28 March, 5pm
Webb’s | 33a Normanby Road, Mount Eden
RSVP to mia@webbs.co.nz
Installation view of artworks at Ōhinetahi. Pat Hanly, Protective Helmet (Lot 26) and Greer Twiss, Big Red (Lot 29). Photo by Jane Ussher MNZM.
Webb’s March 2026 Works of Art catalogue includes a selection of pieces from Sir Miles’ personal collection, offering a rare glimpse into the aesthetic world that surrounded and informed his architectural practice.
The sale of these works carries a philanthropic dimension. Warren’s collection at Ōhinetahi, his celebrated Governors Bay property, was gifted to the nation in 2012. Proceeds from the artworks offered in the auction will support the ongoing preservation of this extraordinary house, garden and sculpture park, ensuring that its architectural and cultural legacy continues to be shared with the public.
Installation view of artworks at Ōhinetahi. Pat Hanly, Summer Land (Lot 25). Photo by Jane Ussher MNZM.
Installation view of artworks at Ōhinetahi. Pat Hanly, Fire This Time (Lot 24) and Andrew Drummond, Penetrated sample (Lot 38).
Photo by Jane Ussher MNZM.
The internationally significant gardens at Ōhinetahi.
Photo by Jane Ussher MNZM.
The internationally significant gardens at Ōhinetahi.
Photo by Jane Ussher MNZM.
30.03.26
Works of Art | Live Auction
33a Normanby Road, Mount Eden
webbs.co.nz
Emily Gardener | Director of Art
emily@webbs.co.nz | +64 22 595 5610
Maurice and I — Documentary Screening
Saturday 28 March, 5pm
33a Normanby Road, Mount Eden
RSVP to mia@webbs.co.nz
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