Mawhiti Tino Rawe | Clever Crustaceans
Crabs, shrimps, lobsters, barnacles, slaters and other crustaceans are the stars of this new mini exhibition at Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum, developed by NIWA and Te Papa. Opening on Saturday 28 September 2024, Mawhiti Tino Rawe | Clever Crustaceans is a playful exploration of the bizarre and diverse world of five marine crustaceans. They can change their shape,…
Domain Tales | 160 years of Ashburton Domain
Grandly named The Grange on Ashburton’s first map in 1864, this fenced-off area designated for recreation was largely indistinguishable from the untouched countryside around it. It wasn’t until 1877 when a newly appointed gardener began a systematic programme of planting that the area began to develop. Today known as the Ashburton Domain, it has evolved into…
Signs Past
Signs impact our lives every day; they direct, inform, influence and advise us. Ideally, the words, symbols and graphics combine to convey a message in the form of a visually pleasing and easy to read sign. Styles, methods and products used to create signage have changed dramatically over the past seventy years. A hand painted…
Caught in the Moment: Guardian photographs of 1974
Which moments in time did the Ashburton Guardian photographers capture around Hakatere Ashburton throughout 1974? A selection of photographs from our large collection of negatives will take visitors on a journey across various aspects of life in our district 50 years ago. Although some of these images were published in the daily paper, most weren’t and won’t have been seen before. Many of the photographs…
Home Front Heroines
Until recently, the unsung heroes of Aotearoa New Zealand’s WWII home front efforts went largely unrecognised. ‘Land girls’ of the Women’s Land Service, an organisation formed under the Women’s War Service Auxiliary in 1942, played a vital role in the country’s agricultural and food production industries while large numbers of men served in the armed…
A New Era: Ng King Bros. Chinese Market Garden Settlement
Sixteen years ago the descendants of the men who founded the Ng King Bros. Chinese Market Garden expressed their desire to share their land and the legacy of their buildings and stories with the community. Our new exhibition A New Era: Ng King Bros. Chinese Market Garden Settlement celebrates the restoration and February 2024 re-opening…
Sharing Histories | Gifts of 2023
Explore some of the treasured objects, archives, and photographs that were generously donated to and acquired by the Ashburton Museum and Historical Society in 2023. This annual exhibition will return each year, showcasing some of our most special and fascinating acquisitions of the previous year and exploring why they are significant to Hakatere Ashburton. Join…
Suffrage in Stitches
This year, we celebrated the 130th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Aotearoa New Zealand. When the Electoral Act 1893 was passed, this landmark legislation saw New Zealand become the first self-governing country in the world to give all women the right to vote. Curated by Wellington Museum, Suffrage in Stitches features a 300-metre long textile…
From Tasman Glacier to Table Service
For three Hakatere Ashburton men, Wilf Holland, Allen Kelly and Jack Pattle, an adventure awaited them at Aoraki Mt Cook in March 1958. They were tasked with cutting three blocks of clean white ice from a glacier and preparing them for shipping to New York. From Tasman Glacier to Table Service follows the journey of…
The Great Haulage Feat 1905-06: The Removal of the Wakanui Mill
At nearly 16.5 metres tall and weighing 260 tonnes, the huge wooden Wakanui Flour Mill was hauled 10.5km from its original site at Whakanui to the corner of Kermode and West Street over 18 working days. Two traction engines pulled the building forward with the help of hardwood rollers, 10cm in diameter, positioned over tramway…