Museum news – June

The new Raglan & District Museum – opened only last year – is not only a notable addition to the town architecture of Raglan but is also proving itself a highly appreciated attraction to Raglan locals and tourists alike. The museum is on track to achieve its target of 5000 visitors in its first year.

The museum collection is growing as donors take notice of the new whare taonga – the treasure house. There have been notable additions to the collection. The Ngati Mahanga material, that of the tangata whenua of the museum site, has recently been joined by a magnificent collection of Ngati Tahinga artefacts. Ngati Tahinga are from the northern side of Raglan harbour and the collection was gathered over many years by the Bird family.

The general collection has been added to substantially. Among the additions are Raglan’s first telephone exchange along with a beautifully refurbished wheelbarrow with petrol driven water-pump attached, Raglan’s ‘fire engine’ in use until the mid 1950s.

The main current project is the preparation of a permanent surfing exhibition, surfing being of great importance in Raglan, culturally and economically. The exhibition has been made possible by a $20,000 donation from the Gallagher Group.

– Dr Patrick Day, museum president