Whakawhitika can take the form of actions, assignments, exchange or conveyance. The artworks in these galleries draw on this principle of transition to explore human relationships with water and waterways.

Waterways include lakes formed by ancestral figures, seasonal currents used to navigate the first voyaging waka to Te Waipounamu, and the freshwater resources that sustain human and natural life. Whakawhitika locates these relationships in contemporary Māori experiences, bringing together past, present and future.

Whakawhitika is placed at a significant time in Kāi Tahu environmental action, as Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu seeks recognition of its rakatirataka over freshwater in the Kāi Tahu takiwā before the High Court. These artworks are guided by the environmental and cultural values that underscore this claim.