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HISTORY OF THE
GOLDEN BAY MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Commercial Street • Takaka
goldenbaymuseum@xtra.co.nz

The major part of our present museum collection was originally owned by Margaret Wilson. This was known as the Takaka Museum. This came up for sale and a committee of local people was formed to raise $80,000 to purchase her private collection, which took four years, and was no mean achievement from a population of 4,000.

Prior to the purchase, Mr Ken Gorbey, a small museum consultant, undertook a feasibility study following which he recommended proceeding with the venture. In 1989, with help from the then Golden Bay County Council, the Tourist and Publicity Department and a grant from the Lottery Board, the Committee purchased Takaka’s old Post Office building and built a new museum alongside.

This building was designed by Wellington architect James Beard, from the New Zealand Heritage and Conservation Trust. The museum was opened by the late Sir Wallace Rowling on October 15th, 1990. The Stout Trust, Wellington, gave a generous grant in 1990 to employ a curator for one year to move the museum collection to the new building. The old Post Office was restored to its original condition and was opened alongside the museum on December 14th, 1991 as an arts and crafts gallery.

Following the visit by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1992, the Committee decided to build a diorama-seascape which would include not only models of Abel Tasman’s two ships, the Heemskerck and the Zeehaen but also the seven Maori waka, illustrating the earliest contact between Maori and Europeans in New Zealand. This took place at Taupo Point, Golden Bay in 1642.

Robert Jenkin was employed to build the models and Raimund Heese the cabinet with a grant from the Community Trust and the Tasman District Council. This was completed in 1999, and the Museum has since published a book, Strangers in Mohua, Abel Tasman's Exploration of New Zealand. The book is intended as an educational resource. It is well illustrated, and contains an account of Tasman's career, with particular attention to his New Zealand visit. It is available from the museum.

In 1994 it was decided to build an Archive to house the Museum’s collection of historic documents. This building was opened on December 7th, 1994 by the grandchildren of the late John Crockford for whom the Archives and Reference Library is named, in recognition of his voluntary work as treasurer and building supervisor of the museum complex.

The main display area in the museum is changed every year in conjunction with the Nelson Museum School Services to encourage the local schools to make educational visits as part of their curriculum.

The collection is considered to have significant educational value pertaining to the history, conchology and geology of the Golden Bay area. Permanent exhibits include photographs and treasures of yesteryear and a unique relief map of the Golden Bay area including the Abel Tasman and Heaphy Tracks.

The Golden Bay Museum is managed by part time staff and volunteers. It derives its income from donations and annual single/family subscriptions from the Friends of the Golden Bay Museum, and grants applied for every year, to Tasman District Council and other organisations.


“For the best museum in community endeavors, the tiny town of Takaka … must take the prize … a national class Museum, Gallery and Archive.”   N.Z. Museum Journal

 

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