Chris Saines is Director of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the largest public art gallery in New Zealand, a position he has held since 1996. Chris grew up in Victoria before completing an honours degree in art history at La Trobe University, Melbourne.

Prior to coming to Auckland he was Manager of Curatorial and Support Services (1987-95) and an Education Officer (1984-87) at the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane. Prior to that, from 1982-84, he was Curator of the McClelland Gallery, a State Regional Gallery of Victoria.

Chris has 25 years of art museum and art education experience, the major part of it gained at a senior level. He is a graduate of the J. Paul Getty Foundation's Museum Management Institute, and was the founding Chair of Museums Aotearoa from 1996-2001.

Chris has worked to make Auckland's collections more accessible, both in-house and on-line; he has enlarged private patronage and corporate sponsorship; has led major international projects like Toi Toi Toi, and has initiated the Auckland Triennial and Walters Prize.

Chris Saines in chairing the panel session Spaces for containing art