Heritage New Zealand
FIBRE CLASS
The potential uses of harakeke fibre in 21st-century technology
RECLOAKING THE WHENUA
Edward Ellison has always had a profound love of the land
PRESERVING THE PAST
The fund helping heritage property owners achieve their dreams
HOLDING THE FORT
The volunteers breathing new life into a piece of wartime history
NEXGARD SPECTRA proudly supports the Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches exhibition, now showing at Auckland Museum. Dive into spine-chilling tales and life-saving science as Bloodsuckers explores the fascinating biology of blood and the creatures that crave it, including those that affect our beloved pets, such as fleas, ticks, mites and worms.
NOW ON AT AUCKLAND MUSEUM
Closes April 27th, 2025
Can’t make the exhibition?
Scan here to see how NEXGARD SPECTRA helps protect pets by shutting the door on parasites. Plus enjoy an online walkthrough of the exhibition.
Heritage New Zealand
14 Recloaking the whenua
Corporate roles in boardrooms and city courtrooms have always reflected Edward Ellison’s profound lifetime love of the land
18 Track record
A major new digitisation project will enable worldwide remote access to the huge collection of artefacts housed at Whanganui Collegiate School
22 Preserving the past
New Zealand’s heritage property owners are achieving their restoration dreams thanks to a fund administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
30 Ancient words
The discovery of an old Quran in a Northland book collection could provide new insights into historical attempts to understand Islam in New Zealand
34 Fibre class
An innovative Kiwi company is harnessing the vast potential of harakeke fibre for 21st-century uses
Explore the list
10 Glasshouse glory
An iconic Oamaru display house has been given a new lease of life
12 Making airwaves
Auckland’s former 1YA radio station building is still drawing on its heritage to tell the stories of today
Journeys into the past
42 Holding the fort
A group of dedicated volunteers has breathed new life into Wrights Hill Fortress, an important piece of Wellington’s wartime history
48 A timeless stay
A perfect blend of heritage and hospitality is a powerful drawcard for overnight guests at Hawke’s Bay’s grand homesteads
Heritage New Zealand magazine is printed with mineral-oil-free, soy-based vegetable inks on Impress paper. This paper is Forestry Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified, and manufactured from pulp from responsible sources under the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. Please recycle.
Your visits to these places are free.
But looking after them isn’t.
Please help protect heritage today. Our operational costs continue to rise, and funding remains stagnant. Your membership fees are aimed towards caring for almost 50 heritage sites in Aotearoa, but rising costs mean that contribution is diminishing.
A donation of $100 will provide much-needed funds towards the upkeep and care of these amazing places.
If you are able, please consider donating today.
Yes, I would like to donate
Amount: $30 $60 $100 $150 Other $
Donations over $100 are acknowledged in this magazine. Tick here if you don’t want to be included.
Please charge my:
I would like to donate by credit card Name on Card
Expiry Date
Signature
Thank you! Cut out, complete and return this form to: Membership Services, PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140.
Not a member? Don’t want to cut out this page from your magazine?
Then scan the QR code or go to heritage.org.nz/donate to donate online. Or call us on 0800 802 010 during office hours.
Simply complete, cut out and return the form on this page to us, or donate online by scanning the QR code.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you / Ngā mihi
We are very grateful to those supporters who have recently made donations. Whilst some are kindly acknowledged below, many more have chosen to give anonymously.
Dr Nick C and Mrs Rosalind
N Lambrechtsen
Mr Brian and Mrs Linda Dawkins
Ms Mary Nixon and David Nisbet
Mrs Eleanor and Mr James Leckie
Mr Peter and Mrs Mary Fennessy
Mr Kevin Tonks
Lady Barbara Stewart
Mr Basil Newland
Mrs Jeanette and Mr Geoffrey Baylis
Mr Derek Neutze
Ms Heather Rae and Graham Cook
Mrs Barbara Gatley
Mrs Maria Koelet
Mr Brian and Mrs Rosemary Hedge
Mr Derek and Mrs Carole Green
Mr David and Mrs Sue Sweet
Mr Gerald and Mrs Shirley Reive
Mrs Hueline Massey
Mrs Mary and Mr Alan Dean
Mr Ron Pynenburg
Mr Paul and Mrs Kerry Heath
Mrs Elizabeth and Mr Kevin Andrew
Mrs Anne and Mr Bob Flynn
Mrs Helen and Mr David Baker
Mr Greg Vossler
Mrs Elizabeth Clark
Ms Anna Bidwill
Mr Craig and Mrs Joanna Dunlop
Mrs Bernadette and Mr Nick Heaphy
Mr Geoffrey Lamb
Ms Catherine Devon Ryburn and Dr Phil Morris
Mr George and Mrs Dorothy Richardson
On behalf of Christine & David King
Mr Paul Styles
Mr Brian Sandell
Mr Graeme and Mrs Jennifer McGowan
Mrs Viv Wilson
Miss Paula Wise
Singh Carriers Limited
Dr Berwick and Mrs Anne Taylor
Mr Robert and Mrs Susan Geck
Heritage New Zealand
Issue 176 Ngahuru • Autumn 2025
ISSN 1175-9615 (Print)
ISSN 2253-5330 (Online)
Cover image: Harakeke by Mike Heydon
Editor Anna Dunlop, Sugar Bag Publishing
Sub-editor Trish Heketa, Sugar Bag Publishing
Art director Amanda Trayes, Sugar Bag Publishing
Publisher
Heritage New Zealand magazine is published quarterly by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. The magazine had a circulation of 8137 as at 31 December 2024.
The views expressed in the articles are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Advertising For advertising enquiries, please contact Tony Leggett, Advertising Sales Manager. Phone: 027 474 6093
Email: tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz
Subscriptions/Membership
Heritage New Zealand magazine is sent to all members of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Call 0800 802 010 to find out more.
Tell us your views
At Heritage New Zealand magazine we enjoy feedback about any of the articles in this issue or heritage-related matters.
Email: The Editor at heritagenz@gmail.com
Post: The Editor, c/- Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140
Feature articles: Note that articles are usually commissioned, so please contact the Editor for guidance regarding a story proposal before proceeding. All manuscripts accepted for publication in Heritage New Zealand magazine are subject to editing at the discretion of the Editor and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Online: Subscription and advertising details can be found under the Resources section on the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website heritage.org.nz
HERITAGE NEW ZEALAND POUHERE TAONGA
National Office
PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140 Antrim House, 63 Boulcott Street Wellington 6011 (04) 472 4341 information@heritage.org.nz
LPlanting the seed
ate last year, when I was putting together this issue of Heritage New Zealand magazine, my partner and I were in the throes of landscaping our new house in Central Otago. It wasn’t proving easy. For a start, we both know very little about gardening, having spent most of our adult lives living in rental properties in London and other big cities, and we certainly didn’t have the budget to hire a landscaper. The region’s unforgiving climate and our property’s equally unforgiving steep, rocky section were also proving a challenge.
That was until I started writing my story for this magazine (pages 34 to 41), however, and the answer became clear: we should plant harakeke. So we did.
Also known as New Zealand flax (despite not actually being a flax, but a species related to lilies), this hardy native plant offers benefits and potential that stretch far beyond the stability and biodiversity it will bring to our little garden once it becomes fully established.
Māori have long known the power of muka, or flax fibre. It is one of the strongest sustainable fibres in the world and was used for centuries by Māori, to make kākahu and kupenga, then Pākehā, who also used it to make rope and twine. To my shame, before I started my research, I had no idea about the amazing properties of harakeke or the huge part that the flax milling industry played in New Zealand’s history and development.
Others, however, are much more astute: the recently established Te Hononga Hapori Harakeke|The Harakeke Community Alliance is aiming to revitalise this forgotten industry, albeit in a more sustainable manner. Leading the charge are two young entrepreneurs who are using a harakeke-based composite material to replace environmentally damaging carbon fibre and fibre glass. It’s just one of the hundreds of potential applications for this incredible plant and I’m excited to see where a revitalised harakeke industry will lead.
Also exciting is Sahar Lone’s story about the discovery of one of New Zealand’s oldest copies of the Quran at a Northland property cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (pages 30 to 33). Ruatuna was the birthplace and childhood home of Gordon Coates, New Zealand’s 21st Prime Minister, and it’s fascinating to think that the family of one of the country’s most important men may have owned a Quran as far back as the late 1800s. How did the Quran come to be at Ruatuna and who brought it to New Zealand? Sahar does a wonderful job of exploring these questions and bringing the story to life. You can read more about her work on this story in our Behind the Story feature in Papa Pānui Noticeboard.
As you will have seen in Summer 2024’s Papa Pānui Noticeboard, we’ve been mixing things up a bit. Alongside highlighting a selection of the fantastic heritage events going on around the country, that issue also had a guest editorial from Andrew Coleman, Manahautū Chief Executive of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. We will be featuring more of these guest editorials from heritage experts in future issues.
You may also have noticed that the Heritage New Zealand magazine cover has had a makeover – we’ve removed the laminate, which means the magazine is now fully recyclable, without compromising on quality. Although, of course, we hope you choose to keep every issue of Heritage New Zealand magazine on your shelves for a long time to come.
Ngā mihi nui
Anna
kākahu: clothes
kupenga: fishing nets
SOCIAL HERITAGE…
with Paul Veart, Web and Digital Advisor, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
For such a small strip of land, Te Aro Park has elicited some very big reactions over the years. But then, that’s exactly what great art is meant to do.
Even if you’re not from Wellington, you may well have seen or heard about Te Aro Park.
It’s the type of place that catches your eye as you’re heading somewhere else: a glimpse of tiles from a bus window; the sound of water as you’re rushing up Manners Street. But unless you can get yourself onto a nearby rooftop, it can be tricky to view it in its entirety.
That’s where Google Maps comes in. If your phone is handy, you can try it now;
simply type in Te Aro Park and change the view to satellite.
From the vantage of space – or a computer screen – this narrow wedge of concrete, grass and water is revealed to be nothing short of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most striking and significant public artworks.
The work itself was created by Shona Rapira Davies and Kura Te Waru Rewiri in the early 1990s as an acknowledgement of the area’s past – and the need for healing in the present.
Earlier last year, we highlighted Te Aro Park on social media, thanks to an article written by Kaitohutohu Whanake Māori Heritage Advisor
Niki Partsch. The post drew a lot of comments from Wellingtonians and reached 30,000 people (one for each tile that went into the work!).
The article also linked to a fantastic documentary on the artwork’s development titled A Cat Among the Pigeons The documentary examines not only the complexity of its creation but also the commitment of Shona Rapira Davies to bring it to life.
You can read the full article and find a link to the documentary here: heritage.org.nz/ news/stories/a-journeythrough-time-andtransformation-at-tearo-park
Corrections
In Literary Lifelines, issue 175, we stated that Murray Lynch is a trustee of Robert Lord House. In fact, he is not, but he does work closely with the trustees.
In the same story, we misnamed Tracey Sharp, Project Manager of the Shadbolt House Writers’ Residency, as Tracy Wedge.
BEHIND THE STORY… WRITER SAHAR LONE
For this issue, you write about the Quran that’s in the collection at Ruatuna. What’s something that you were surprised or interested to learn on this assignment?
I was surprised to discover that a translation of the Quran is part of the Ruatuna collection, and I enjoyed learning about other copies owned by Muslims in Aotearoa. A Quran is often deeply personal to its owner, so I expect readers will be curious about how this particular version came to be at a former Prime Minister’s residence.
What’s something you’d like our readers to know about the Quran and/or Islam?
That Islam is a way of life and has cultural aspects that go beyond the immediately visible –including views on tax and
charitable giving – that make Muslims who they are. After the outbreak of Covid-19, when social distancing became part of our shared lexicon, I found myself using the Muslim greeting in which you place your right hand on your heart. The mosque mass shootings on 15 March 2019 also provided a moment for Muslims to share more about our faith with the broader community, even amid such challenging times.
What’s a favourite heritage place for you, and why?
As someone who deeply cares about material culture, heritage, and the built environment, one place I hope to visit some day is Palestine. Sadly, many significant sites there, such as libraries, religious sites and historic landmarks, have been lost, especially in the past year. Among them was the Great Mosque of Gaza, believed to be one of the oldest of its kind in the region and a powerful symbol of peace and resistance. Religion owes much to architecture, and I believe that the loss of such important places is a great loss for us all.
Ngā Taonga i tēnei marama, Heritage this month –subscribe now Keep up to date with heritage happenings with our free e-newsletter Ngā Taonga i tēnei marama, Heritage this month. Visit heritage.org.nz to subscribe.
SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT …
with Brendon Veale, Manager Supporter Development
Over the past few issues of Heritage New Zealand magazine, we’ve incorporated opportunities for you, our members, to provide your top tips on overseas travel, as well as stories and anecdotes about being members and why you enjoy your memberships.
Already we have received delightful stories from the road and gained insights into the lives of all you wonderful people.
We’d love to know what else you’re keen to read about from other members or ideas of your own that you think others would enjoy; for example, tips for enjoying heritage while travelling around New Zealand or museums or experiences that shouldn’t be missed.
This is your chance to let us know what member content you’d like to see more of.
Email us at membership@heritage.org.nz, phone us on 0800 802 010, or send material to PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140 (any submissions, content and images we receive will be considered approved for publication).
If you are digitally inclined, you can scan the QR code above, which will take you straight to our feedback form. Remember to return your replies to us by 15 March 2025 so we can incorporate them into the next issue of the magazine.
I can’t wait to read your ideas and comments.
Brendon Veale
0800 HERITAGE (0800 802 010) bveale@heritage.org.nz
YOUR HERITAGE TO-DO LIST
A selection of the wonderful heritage attractions available around the country this autumn
VISIT
Pencarrow Lighthouse
It’s International Women’s Day in March, so why not visit Pencarrow Lighthouse and discover the place that was home to Mary Jane Bennett, New Zealand’s first and only female lighthouse keeper? Pencarrow Lighthouse (a Category 1 historic place) was the first permanent lighthouse to be built in New Zealand, and is located on an isolated, windswept headland at the entrance to Wellington Harbour. It officially came into operation on 1 January 1859 and Mary Jane ran it until 1865 while bringing up her five children alone (her husband drowned in 1855). Her story has inspired various books, including Weathered Bones, the debut novel from New Zealand writer Michele Powles.
visitheritage.co.nz/visit/wellington/pencarrow-lighthouse
DO
New Zealand Archaeology Week (3-11
May 2025)
Aimed at increasing public awareness of archaeology and highlighting the importance of protecting our archaeological heritage, New Zealand Archaeology Week comprises various events nationwide, hosted by consultant archaeologists, museums, heritage organisations and iwi. This year’s programme features public talks, historic walks, community events and displays, including a presentation on the work of Polish archaeologists in Europe and around the world and the links between World War II, the Resistance and Polish New Zealanders (Auckland).
nzarchaeology.org/news-events/nationalarchaeology-week-2025
EXPLORE
Open Christchurch (2-4 May 2025)
New Zealand’s largest independent festival of architecture is back, allowing visitors to Christchurch to experience the interiors of many of the city’s most beautiful buildings for free. This year’s programme celebrates Benjamin Mountfort’s work in the 200 years since his birth. Featured heritage buildings by Mountfort will include the Great Hall (Arts Centre), the Former Addington Gaol and the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings. Other historic buildings will include the much-loved Isaac Theatre Royal (pictured above), built in 1908 by Sidney and Alfred Luttrell and restored in 2014 by Warren & Mahoney.
openchch.nz
CYCLE
Wharehuanui and Shotover Gorge trails
Make the most of this time of year in Queenstown Lakes by cycling the two newest trails in Queenstown Trails’ ever-growing network. The Wharehuanui trail runs 17 kilometres from historic Arrowtown (famed for its vibrant autumn colours) to Arthurs Point and offers spectacular views of the Remarkables, while the Shotover Gorge trail (which, at the time of writing, was due to open at the beginning of 2025) takes you into the stunning lower gorge of the Shotover River through a restored 108-metre-long gold mining tunnel. While in Arrowtown, explore its many heritage places, including the Category 1 former Bank of New Zealand building (now the Lakes District Museum) and the surrounding Buckingham Street Historic Area, and the Arrowtown Chinese Settlement (Category 2).
queenstowntrails.org.nz
PLACES WE VISIT
for details of offices or visitheritage.co.nz to see historic places around New Zealand that are cared for by
New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington Pōrangahau / Wallingford
Tāmaki-makau-rau / Auckland Tinopai
/ Otaitai Bush
Mosaic masterclass
Amusical quartet made entirely of mosaics – complete with a grand piano planted with Echeveria elegans succulents – is not something you expect to find in the residential streets of Akaroa.
The Giant’s House sculpture mosaic garden is the brainchild of artist and horticulturalist Josie Martin, who combined her talents to create something truly unique. It has the New Zealand Gardens Trust’s highest rating of six stars and has been designated a garden of international significance.
Overlooking the whimsical sculptures and terraced gardens is the eponymous house, which supposedly earned its name when a small child looked up at it from the valley below and declared that it must belong to a giant. Linton, as it is otherwise known, is a Category 2 historic place built by Arthur Henry Westenra, Akaroa’s first Bank of New Zealand branch manager, in 1881.
Designed by Christchurch architect AW Simpson, it is one of Akaroa’s grander colonial houses and is built predominantly from tōtara, with kauri used for the doors and joinery.
Josie established the sculpture garden in 2008, followed by an art gallery in 2009. The Giant’s House garden is open daily for visitors and group tours: thegiantshouse.co.nz
•
•
•
WORDS: KATHY CATTON / IMAGERY: ROB SUISTED
Glasshouse glory
An iconic Oamaru display house has been given a new lease of life thanks to a carefully curated restoration project
The Display House in Oamaru Public Gardens, a cherished landmark opened in 1929, has played a vital role in the town since its installation. Designed by architect Ivan Steenson, the greenhouse was built to protect frost-tender plants in Oamaru’s cool climate and provide a temperate retreat for locals and visitors to enjoy. It became an essential addition to the Oamaru Public Gardens, established in 1876, and the building now holds a Category 2 listing.
While planning a scheduled repaint, investigations by Waitaki District Council revealed rotting timbers and structural inconsistencies.
“It was more than just a paint job,” says Jane Matchett, Rural Parks Officer at Waitaki District Council. “It was clear we needed to go deeper; the integrity of the structure was at stake.”
Toby Armour, Projects and Assets Officer at Waitaki District Council, led the restoration, and it was agreed that the Display House
should be returned to its original purpose.
The first curator of the Oamaru Public Gardens, John Tait, envisioned the greenhouse as a space not only for enjoyment but also for education, including a display of plants that could not thrive outside the nurturing environment of the glasshouse. Through the decades, visitors to the glasshouse have been captivated by stunning seasonal displays, in particular the spectacular begonias and cyclamen.
Listing:
LOCATION
Oamaru is located 80km south of Timaru and 120km north of Dunedin.
The wooden glasshouse required careful management as water was drawn from the warm, wet interior through the wood into the cold exterior. Over time, tropical plants had been introduced, increasing the moisture, condensation and heat, and this had hastened the rotting of the timber and the overall decline of the structure. 7153
Eventually the Council was forced to temporarily close the glasshouse to the public.
For those involved – all locals – the project evoked connections to the past.
“I remember the cacti and the heat,” says Site Manager William Murray.
A carpenter by trade, William has worked on various historic buildings in the UK and New Zealand, including an orangery on a private property in Windsor, on the outskirts of Oamaru. He was up for the challenge of restoring the Display House.
“I’m so pleased the work’s been done to stop it fading away and instead revitalise the place for future generations to enjoy.”
Funding for the original greenhouse back in March 1928 was raised during a garden fete, where nearly £3000 (NZ$6458 in today’s money) was collected for various improvements.
The greenhouse itself cost £1101, with Steenson supervising the project pro bono. Notable for its utilitarian design, the structure features a brick base, a timber frame and distinctive finials adorning its gables. This time around, funding came from Waitaki District Council. Beginning in August 2023, most of the restoration work was finished by May 2024, but not without several challenges.
“We started at what we thought was the worst end, but it turned out both ends were pretty bad,” William recalls.
A team of locals, from scaffolders to glaziers to painters, diligently salvaged as much original Canadian Oregon timber as possible, replacing the rest with treated timber to withstand the warm microclimate that the greenhouse was intended to achieve.
“It was like fitting a jigsaw puzzle together,” says William of the team’s careful repair and replacement of materials, ensuring that the building’s integrity was maintained.
contributed hugely to the project’s success,” she says.
In addition to housing temperate plants, the glasshouse continues to be a cherished sanctuary and ‘go-to’ place. Collaboration with nearby institutions, such as the Dunedin Botanic Garden, emphasises the project’s community spirit.
“Donations of plants helped replenish the glasshouse’s current offerings – people’s generosity really made a difference,” says Jane.
“The craftsmanship exhibited in the building’s original architecture is remarkable. Many sections feature stamped numbers, suggesting it may have been a kitset structure shipped from England.”
Susie Farminer, Conservation Advisor Otago/ Southland for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, visited several times before and during the conservation work, and is very impressed with the quality of the repairs.
“Jane, Toby and Will have made an excellent project team, and the attention to detail and expertise shown by Will in particular has
As the project nears completion, with ongoing enhancements to plant selection and a coat of lime paint to the glazing (to provide shade) still to come, the Council is encouraging visitors to appreciate the role of the glasshouse as a focal point for community connections.
This initiative has not only safeguarded a piece of the town’s heritage but is also cultivating a renewed appreciation by visitors of the environment. William encourages locals and tourists alike to visit the greenhouse.
“If anyone ever gets a chance, they should walk around and enjoy it.”
Search the listing number at heritage.org.nz/places to read more.
Making airwaves
WORDS: NICOLA MARTIN
A building that is the cradle of New Zealand’s media and performing arts evolution is still drawing on its heritage to tell the stories of today
Nestled in the heart of Auckland’s central business district between soaring glass highrises on Shortland Street sits the striking Kenneth Myers Centre. Formerly the 1YA Radio Station Building, it holds a Category 1 listing on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero and was opened in 1935 as the first purpose-built radio studio in the Southern Hemisphere. At
the time, it was home to New Zealand’s first licensed radio station, Auckland’s Radio 1YA.
The building’s striking neo-Romanesque facade and soundproof interior were conceived by architects Norman Wade and Alva Bartley. It was constructed of brick and concrete, and the design includes thick walls and few windows to prevent acoustic loss, while intricate zig-zag designs throughout
Listing:
the building symbolise the radio waves of modern communication.
When it opened, the building became the hub of New Zealand’s early radio broadcasting, shaping the social and political discourse. Later, it hosted Television New Zealand’s first news broadcast in June 1960 and was home to TVNZ until 1985.
In 2000 businessman and philanthropist Douglas Myers
LOCATION
Auckland is a major metropolitan city in the north of the North Island.
used peer-to-peer fundraising to purchase the building from the state when TVNZ moved out, and he later gifted it to the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau.
Since then, the Kenneth Myers Centre has been carefully adapted to house teaching spaces for performing arts and, on its upper level, the Gus Fisher Gallery, the flagship art gallery for the university.
“The building represents a blend of heritage architecture and modern utility,” says University of Auckland Convenor of Museums and Cultural Heritage Dr Linda Tyler. She credits previous University Vice-Chancellors John Hood and Stuart McCutcheon for having the vision to repurpose the building into what it is today. Gus Fisher ONZM, a local fashion designer, manufacturer and philanthropist, provided funding to create the gallery that now carries his name.
The centre’s lower levels serve as a hub for students and professionals in various creative disciplines, and
include the Centre for Contemporary Art and Performing Arts, bringing together music, theatre, and fine arts students. Its TV studio is still used for media training and filming promotional videos for the university.
Linda says the centre illustrates how creative adaptation can transform heritage buildings to serve our modern world and also maintain their places in the fabric of our history.
“It’s a real tribute to private philanthropy, as well as the university’s own interest in preserving a Category 1 historic building.”
Many members of New Zealand’s artistic royalty have recorded within the centre’s soundproof walls, including Dave Dobbyn, Che Fu and The Mutton Birds.
“This building is the cradle of New Zealand’s media and performing arts evolution,” says Gus Fisher Gallery Curator Lisa Beauchamp.
The gallery, on the top floor, runs a programme that reflects the pioneering spirit of the building’s history, with vibrant contemporary art exhibitions in which its interior is transformed to accentuate the stories told – and always within heritage guidelines.
“We do three exhibitions a year, and every exhibition we do is completely different,” says Lisa. “The most ambitious in 2024 was Derek Jarman: Delphinium Days
“We worked with Aalto Paint in choosing an incredibly rich chalice brown colour to transform the spaces. Everyone was commenting on how stunning it looked. It really enhanced the red-brown of the jarrah flooring.”
Soon after Lisa’s arrival in 2018, the gallery underwent significant upgrades. Damaged porcelain flooring tiles were replaced by jarrah
parquet flooring that was salvaged from Christchurch Town Hall after the 2011 Canterbury earthquake.
Ali deHora, Conservation
Architect with Salmon Reed Architects, worked on the project alongside Ian Grant from the Auckland Council Heritage Team and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Senior Conservation
Architect Robin Byron.
“We decided the wooden flooring would reference the original floors from its radio era,” says Lisa. “Our reuse of the floorboards from the Christchurch Town Hall was about sustainability in conservation but also honouring the past while adapting to modern needs.”
The building’s heritage continues to inspire artists of today, as evidenced by projects like The Changing Room – which will be shown later in 2025 – inviting contemporary artists to reinterpret the former use of the space as a bathroom and changing area, reflecting themes of transformation and performance.
Other exhibitions have included The Medium is the
Message in 2020, marking 60 years since New Zealand’s first official public television broadcast from the building in June 1960.
The exhibition explored the intersection of broadcasting and art, drawing on archival materials including vintage microphones and footage of the Howard Morrison Quartet’s televised debut.
“Artists are often inspired by the building’s unique spaces and heritage details,” says Lisa.
“It is an ongoing conversation between the past and present.”
The University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau has also worked with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga to create guidelines on what is permissible within the gallery spaces and what may need further discussion.
“It’s about preserving the space and making it functional for what we need it to do today,” says Lisa.
Antony Phillips, Senior Outreach Advisor for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, says while heritage can often be seen as a barrier to development
in our modern world, the Kenneth Myers Centre is a shining example of how our past and present can coexist – one supporting and promulgating the other.
“Restoration work completed using the floorboards from the Christchurch Town Hall speaks to how heritage buildings can be managed sustainably, drawing from history and adding to the present,” he says.
Preservation efforts are ongoing on the building’s exterior, with a meticulous regrouting of the hand-laid bricks underway, and are expected to be completed this year.
“As with all historic buildings there are challenges, and ongoing maintenance is needed, but preservation is critical in holding on to our past,” says Lisa.
“It’s heartwarming to see how much this place has meant to people over the decades and we’re privileged to play a role in its story.”
Search the listing number at heritage.org.nz/places to read more.
theRecloaking whenua
A profound lifetime love of the land has led Edward Ellison away from the windswept paddocks of his Ōtākou farm to boardrooms and city courtrooms
WORDS: NIKI PARTSCH / IMAGERY: MIKE HEYDON
Edward Ellison has a deep desire to preserve the heritage of this land and retell the stories of people and place.
Raised in the tiny community of Ōtākou on Muaūpoko Otago Peninsula, the new Chair of the Māori Heritage Council and Deputy Chair of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Board has direct whakapapa connections to Ngāi Tahu tūpuna Karetai and Mātenga Taiaroa.
“They are important to us and everything in terms of our connection here at Ōtākou,” he says. “There are many descendants who share whanaungatanga and this common heritage. We continue to aspire to achieve the rangatiratanga that they held, and its influence for the good of our people and for the people who live with us in the region.”
As a young man from a fishing family, Edward’s love of the sea drew him towards
marine engineering. His supportive parents, George and Alyce Ellison, drove him to the Hillside Railway workshop in Dunedin to visit the place where he would begin his apprenticeship. But the dingy, dusty, noisy environment was not a match for his love of the great outdoors, so he set his sights firmly on a cadetship with Federated Farmers instead.
“I think it was the best decision I ever made in my life,” he says.
He later married Alison Gray and they settled in Ōtākou to work the land and to raise their family on their sheep and beef farm. They have two adult children, Megan and Brett, and five mokopuna aged from seven to 18 years.
“It was the hills and heritage that attracted me back here,” says Edward. “It’s seasonal and can dry out, but it is healthy stock country.”
A quiet life on the land was soon disrupted as significant roles and responsibilities began to call him away. Among the most significant were his positions as a Treaty of Waitangi negotiator and conservationist, with both earning him the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015. He is also upoko for the Ōtākou Rūnaka, which, he says, is “amazing, but of course you have to grow into that, and it takes you to another level because you’re working voluntarily for the people”.
He adds: “The marae at Ōtakou is probably my favourite heritage place. The complex includes the wharenui, church and school, and for me all the memories that go with it.”
In the 1980s Edward played a key role as a negotiator in Ngāi Tahu’s successful claim against the Crown for breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. He says it was a career highlight.
“Probably the greatest thing for me was working on the elusive justice that our ancestors strived for, and their honour. Five generations had tried, but it’s hard to imagine what it was like for them trying to achieve the outcomes that we did, with no resources in an unsympathetic political climate.”
hapū: subtribe
kai: food
kaupapa: purpose
kōrero: story
mātauranga: knowledge
mokopuna: grandchildren
pou tokomanawa: carved wooden post
rangatira: chiefs
rangatiratanga: autonomy, sovereignty
tūpuna: ancestors
upoko: head, leader whakapapa: geneaology
whānau: family
whanaungatanga: family connection
wharenui: meeting house whenua: land
Edward’s involvement in conservation began in the late 1970s, when a large multinational company partnered with a New Zealand consortium in proposing an enormous aluminium smelter near Ōtākou, with significant potential impacts on the environment.
“That experience triggered me to become involved in environmental matters, be they land, water or marine kaupapa,” says Edward.
Two locations were put forward for consideration: Aramoana, opposite Ōtākou marae, and Ōkia Flats, over the hill from the marae (and bordering Edward’s farm).
“Both options rocked me to the very core,” says Edward. “It shocked me that the powers that be could consider doing something like that in such a beautiful place.”
Edward is relieved that the smelter was never built but reflects on the repercussions for his community. “It split whānau, workplaces and communities because people felt very strongly either for or against,” he says.
“It was a very divided process here in the city and across the province. The marae committee at the time took a while to make a
decision, but in the end we joined the process to halt it.” He believes an important lesson was learned about being engaged with and aware of what’s happening in your area. “I continued to work a bit more on environmental matters as time went on.”
Edward is committed to the idea of recloaking the land wherever possible and believes there is a responsibility to maintain and look after Aotearoa’s rich biodiversity. “We have a vision here at Ōtākou to create corridors of native vegetation across the landscape.”
While he still enjoys farming because it keeps him physically active, he has downsized and leased out some of his land.
In his roles as Chair of the Māori Heritage Council and Deputy Chair of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Board, Edward would like to continue the growth, understanding and interpretation of Māori heritage, and make it accessible to a wider community that, he believes, is still learning.
He considers the landmark Te Māori art exhibition, which toured the US from 1984 to 1986, a turning point for Aotearoa.
“The international audiences revered the cultural art exhibitions and that woke New Zealanders up,” he says. “Māori art and culture had not been valued highly here until then, but after that and with the creation of the Waitangi Tribunal, we started to see a change for the better to a more bicultural country.”
Edward thinks the focus has now turned towards the heritage and values we have here, and the epic journeys made across the Pacific Ocean. He feels positive and hopeful about sharing these stories and for them to be recognised and honoured by the wider community.
“It’s a challenge, but that shouldn’t deter us from being very focused on the importance of indigeneity in this country – that needs to be understood, recognised and celebrated.”
Edward has visited several of the places cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Unsurprisingly most of them are in Otago, although he has made visits to Antrim House in Wellington and Kerikeri Mission Station in Northland, and looks forward to visiting more heritage properties and wāhi tapu over the next few years in his new roles.
“I enjoy seeing heritage icons on our landscape and it’s great that they are available for the public to visit and see the connections to the past,” he says. “The lessons we can learn from them are still relevant in the present day.”
POU TOKOMANAWA AT PUKEKURA
Pukekura Taiaroa Head at the very tip of Otago Peninsula hosts the only mainland royal albatross breeding colony in the world.
The headland is highly significant to the hapū from Ōtākou given its association with important rangatira, and because it was the location of the pā Pukekura and a refuge in times of peril. It was also where the Herald-Bunbury Treaty sheet was signed in 1840.
Pukekura was not excluded from the 1844 Otago Deed of Purchase because of the intention to designate the land for a lighthouse and later for defence purposes.
Later, the land licence was granted to the Otago Peninsula Trust, and in the 1980s Edward was appointed to the Otago Peninsula Trust Board.
It was a timely appointment: the Board was at the early stage of building the Royal Albatross Centre and was agreeable when Edward put forward the idea of including a pou tokomanawa.
The 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty was approaching, so some funding was available. With the donation of a mataī tree that had been felled on Department of Conservation land and support for the hapū from renowned artist Cliff Whiting ONZ, they developed the pou tokomanawa design and completed the carving themselves.
Edward feels that “all the stars had lined up”.
“It was a renaissance of some significance to our hapū and it reinstated those tūpuna and that kōrero back on to Pukekura.”
He believes the biodiversity of the area is part of the heritage of this land.
“There are some challenges with the climate; probably the warming of the seas is making the albatross travel further for kai,” he says. “A lot of our mātauranga is associated with various species and we have a duty to look after them.” n
WORDS: SHARON STEPHENSON / IMAGERY: SKYE BONIFACE
TRACK RECORD
The huge collection of carefully curated artefacts, memorabilia and archives housed at Whanganui Collegiate School is preserving a slice of New Zealand’s history; now a major digitisation project will enable worldwide remote access
It sounds like the beginning of a joke: what do an All Blacks captain, a Formula 1 and Le Mans driver and a pioneering plastic surgeon have in common?
On the surface of it, not much at all. But in the cases of David Kirk, Chris Amon and Sir Harold Gillies, each attended Whanganui Collegiate School (WCS). Look closely at the wall in the WCS Museum and Archives and you’ll spot their photos hanging side by side.
It’s hard to miss WCS, a state-integrated, coeducational day and boarding school a few blocks from the river that cleaves Whanganui in two.
The grand old school, believed to be the third oldest in New Zealand and the second-oldest high school, sprawls across 24 hectares of manicured lawns and sports fields. Its Category 1-listed campus features a range of 20th-century architectural styles and includes a chapel, dining hall, classrooms, auditorium, gymnasium, principal’s accommodation and boarding houses.
A quick history lesson: WCS was established in 1854 when Governor Sir George Grey granted a land endowment to the Anglican Church to set up what was then called the Native Industrial School. That school was originally built on swampy land a few streets away, but by 1911 its reputation and roll had grown to the extent that the school rebranded and moved to its current location on Liverpool Street.
Since then many of Aotearoa’s most prominent politicians, governors-general, architects, farmers, sportspeople, doctors and lawyers have passed through WCS’s doors. Even, famously, royalty: HRH Prince Edward spent a year there as a house tutor from 1982 to 1983 (the auditorium bears his name).
In 1991 the formerly all-male school opened its doors to female students, and today the 475+ student body comprises around 54 percent males and 46 percent females.
“Unsurprisingly, the school’s rich background has brought with it a huge quantity of historical artefacts,” says Richard Bourne, one of the founders and now director of the WCS Museum and Archives.
Today that collection extends to around 45,000 carefully curated artefacts, memorabilia and archives, from photos to trophies and uniforms. However, initial attempts to corral the collection were far more basic.
“The story goes that items such as The Collegian [the school magazine] and old trophies were stored in various locations around the school, including in cupboards under stairs.”
It wasn’t until 1987 that Peter MacKay, a WCS teacher and second-generation Old Boy, decided to gather the artefacts, boxing them for storage in a couple of spare rooms in the main building. But it would be another few years before a dedicated central repository was created.
“I was President of the Old Boys & Girls Association leading up to the school’s 150th anniversary in 2004, and a group of us decided to make the museum the Old Boys’ project for that,” says Richard.
Handily, in the mid-1990s, a newly built music suite rendered the former music block surplus to requirements. That 14-room, two-storey building was ideally suited to house what would become the WCS Museum and Archives.
The Association refurbished the former music building, including blocking the second-floor windows to prevent light damaging the collection.
“That’s when the enormous task of sorting, recording and storing the vast amount of material began.”
The newly opened museum was one of the highlights of the anniversary celebrations and eventually led to the establishment of the WCS Museum Trust, aimed at “governing and administering the museum to ensure that the collection is protected for future generations”.
As news of the museum has grown, so a trickle of items sent in by former students and their families has turned into a flood. It’s not unusual for Richard to receive several contributions a week.
1. WCS Museum Trust Chair Richard Bourne with an album from the school’s extensive collection.
2. Photos line the downstairs hallway while the wall of WCS Honour Tie holders, which features the ties of some of the school’s most prominent students, is on the left. 2
“For
a school to have such a rich source of stories about the students, teachers and staff over 170 years is fascinating and, I think, quite brilliant”
1. The building housing the WCS Museum was built in 1921.
2. Richard Bourne with longtime WCS archivist Frances Gibbons.
3. The WWII flying helmet of 1931 student DJ Nilsson.
4. Part of the photo display of Honour Tie holders.
5. The main display room upstairs. 1
“People both domestically and overseas have confidence that if they deposit their artefacts with us, they’ll be professionally recorded and stored.”
But as with any museum, it’s the stories behind the items that really connect with people, admits Richard, who attended WCS in the ’60s. One of his favourite items is a pewter tankard sent by an Englishman who’d been a stagehand at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.
“The Hamburg Opera Company was performing there in the 1950s and this Englishman saw one of the German stagehands drinking from a tankard. There was still a bit of ill feeling after World War II so he took the tankard off him. Interestingly, the Englishman had spent time building ships for the New Zealand line, so when he saw the word ‘Wanganui’ engraved on the tankard, he sent it to us.”
Also engraved was the name of a former student, Randal von Tempsky Kettle.
“I managed to track Randal down and it turns out he’d left WCS in 1942 to go overseas with the Navy. His family sent him the tankard in a package to England via friends in the Channel Islands, but of course he never received it. He was thrilled for us to keep it.”
Another favourite donation came from former student and retired Army Colonel Howard Jones, who took up photography as a hobby and documented numerous school events.
“Howard said he’d like to donate his collection to the museum. It ended up being 27,000 photos so we had to add 10 metres more shelving to store it all.”
But the jewel in the museum’s tiara is slightly more technologically advanced. The Register is a database that lists every student from the first in 1854 to the most recent. Type in the name of a student and you’ll find information such as the years they attended, the sports teams they represented, titles held, photos, and any information on their whereabouts and careers.
“We started digitising our collection onto the Register in 2014. It’s a major ongoing project, but the aim is to have it remotely accessible to the public.”
Key to the process is archivist Frances Gibbons, a retired WCS librarian who works part-time cataloguing and digitising the photographic collection.
“I’ve swapped cataloguing books for cataloguing photos,” laughs Frances. “Having worked at the school, I know the environment and students well. I’ve always loved history and doing this work keeps my brain ticking over.”
Which brings us to a slightly thorny issue: where to display the ever-increasing collection?
Richard says the plan is to eventually increase displays around other school buildings, including the main block, dubbed ‘Big School’, where historic photos already line the walls.
Kerryn Pollock, Area Manager Central Region and Senior Heritage Assessment Advisor for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, believes the WCS Museum and Archives is one of Aotearoa’s most significant school-based collections.
1. Richard Bourne on the stairway where Old Boys’ military medals and uniforms are displayed.
2. A photo of HRH Prince Edward, who tutored at WCS in his gap year in 1982.
“A number of schools have items in Archives New Zealand or at local museums, but it’s significant that WCS has an entire building devoted to its archives. That says to me the school really values its history. At the heart of any heritage listing are stories about people, and for a school to have such a rich source of stories about the students, teachers and staff over 170 years is fascinating and, I think, quite brilliant.”
It’s no surprise that Richard, who opens the museum most weekdays and runs tours alongside Frances by arrangement, agrees.
“No other school museum comes close to us in terms of the volume of artefacts and how meticulously we’ve displayed and digitised them. It’s been an honour to be able to preserve this slice of New Zealand’s history.”
Preserving THE PAST
Heritage property owners up and down the country are achieving their restoration dreams thanks to a fund administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
WORDS: MATT PHILP
The Edwardian Baroque former Geraldine Post Office dates to 1908 and has been restored with help from the National Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Image: Mike Heydon
“That funding was enough to push me over the edge to say, ‘Look, there’s support here to restore this building, so I’m going to go for it’”
When Gerry Westenberg bought Cambridge’s Masonic Hotel a decade ago, he expected he’d have to spend some money to get the handsome but somewhat neglected Edwardian gem back to its best. It was going to be worth it.
“This was a fascinating, wonderful building with lots of potential,” says Gerry, whose long-term aim was to turn the Masonic, a Category 2 historic place, into New Zealand’s best regional boutique hotel.
But he concedes that he underestimated the complexity and expense of the task. The seismic bill alone would eventually top $1 million – he says the strengthening report had recommended tearing the hotel down – and there was a long list of work required on both the exterior and the interior.
Thankfully, he was able to secure a $300,000 grant from the Government’s Heritage EQUIP fund for the seismic work. He also found a lifeline in a Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga fund created specifically to provide incentives to heritage property owners considering projects.
Known as the National Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund (NHPIF), it’s an annual pool of $500,000 available to applicants who need help to conserve or preserve privately owned properties that are on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Initially limited to Category 1 historic places, it now embraces Category 2 as well as wāhi tapu and wāhi tupuna and National Historic Landmarks.
There are some caveats. Applicants can’t have access to lottery grants fund money and their projects can’t have already commenced; there is no allowance for additions, extensions, new construction or replicas; and the fund can’t be tapped to remove, relocate or demolish heritage properties.
1. Cambridge’s 1912 Masonic Hotel is being restored with NHPIF help.
2. The Masonic is owner Gerry Westenberg’s first hotel development.
3. Public areas of the old Masonic during restoration.
4. The restoration in progress. Imagery: Karl Drury
Even if an application succeeds, the grant is not a blank cheque. Applicants are awarded up to 50 percent of their projects’ costs, capped at $100,000, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get everything you ask for. In some cases, especially if a grant is more than $50,000, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga may require that a heritage covenant be registered on the record of title to protect the works and the building in the future.
Additionally, the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Board sets priorities every year. In 2024 those priorities were the conservation and preservation of sites significant to Māori; conservation work to increase a heritage place’s resilience and to respond to the impacts of climate change; and seismic strengthening and risk management planning.
Notwithstanding those conditions, the application strike rate is high: 29 grants were considered and 21 were approved in 2023, ranging from a $40,000 grant for the remediation of spalling in a bathroom and basement of central Auckland’s 1919 Courtville building to $15,000 for a roof replacement and kitchen brick chimney reconstruction on a tiny 1880s cottage in Cust, a small town in north Canterbury. In 2024, there were 40 applications and 25 were successful.
While applying is not especially complicated, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga regional staff often step in to guide applicants through the process. In the case of the Masonic Hotel, for example, Ben Pick, Area Manager Lower Northern Region for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, was involved.
Ben notes that Gerry successfully applied twice for NHPIF grants – once for strengthening work in 2018, then again the following year for a fire system and insulation. He says both applications fitted the strategic priorities of the fund and made strong cases.
“The more work you put in, the better your application can be. He sent in lots of information and
4
a well-written heritage assessment,” says Ben, who adds that the building itself was a powerful advocate.
“It’s quite prominent and fits well within the heritage landscape of Cambridge. But without someone like Mr Westenberg taking it on and putting in lots of work … well, that allowed it to survive.”
Gerry says the two grants, which totalled $139,000, were instrumental in saving the Masonic, which at the time of writing was due to open in February.
“That funding was enough to push me over the edge to say, ‘Look, there’s support here to restore this building, so I’m going to go for it’,” he says, adding that the application process was pain free.
“They wanted to know what the plan and vision was, how it would benefit the community and why it was considered worth restoring. It’s a beautiful building, so it was easy to show it was worth funding.”
South Canterbury artist John Badcock had a similar experience of the fund. In 2018 he and his wife Linda bought the former Geraldine Post Office, an Edwardian two-storey beauty on a CBD corner where SH79 and Inland Scenic Route 72 meet. The post office’s roof was leaking badly, and it needed painting and an earthquake assessment. There were risks involved, but John had wanted the building for years, and he figured that a post office must be solidly built. “So I just took the plunge.”
You can see why he felt so drawn to the 1908 building (Category 2 historic place). Designed by
Government Architect John Campbell in the Baroque style, its decorative flourishes include keystone window arches, relief work and triangular pediments, as well as pressed tinned ceilings and classical columns. Above the central recessed entryway hangs a handsome double-sided clock that was funded by public subscription and installed the year after the post office opened. In John’s eyes, it’s the best building in Geraldine, and its prominent location seemed perfect for his dream of opening an art gallery.
As it turned out, his hunch that the building had ‘good bones’ proved correct. Despite the badly leaking roof, there was no rot found in any of the native timbers. And with some judicious strengthening, the building was able to be brought up to 64 per cent of code. The strengthening work, along with a full repaint (rather than revamp the post office’s traditional green-and-grey colour scheme, they painted it white to highlight the ornate features), a new roof, and the repair of the long-stopped clock were partly paid for with a $60,000 grant from the NHPIF.
“We probably couldn’t have done it otherwise. That $60,000 gave us confidence – and it gave our bank the confidence to loan us money,” he says.
“Heritage New Zealand was amazing throughout. They came down to Geraldine, assessed what we were trying to do and made sure that we were within the guidelines … then they left us to it.”
The building is now tenanted downstairs by an outdoor clothing retailer, and John and Linda’s artist daughter Susan has opened a gallery upstairs.
In Inglewood, Taranaki, Mike Longstaff and Karen Moratti had their eyes on the 1875 Deem & Shearer building long before they bought it in late 2023. One of Inglewood’s oldest buildings and a café since the early 1990s, the building hadn’t had a paint job for years, according to Mike. “We wanted to get hold of it so we could look after it,” he says.
1.
2. The double-
3. John and Linda’s daughter Susan has opened a gallery in the restored building.
4. Susan and John in the Susan Badcock gallery. Imagery: Mike Heydon
5. The 1875 Deem & Shearer building.
6. Karen Moratti and Mike Longstaff. Imagery: Mark Harris
5 6
They both describe themselves as passionate about the low-slung Category 2 building on the corner of Kelly and Matai Streets. It began life as a butcher shop run by Herbert Bloomer Curtis, who went on to become Inglewood’s longest-serving mayor. In 1911 it was converted into offices for a law firm that over the next decades went through several name changes before ending up as Deem & Shearer. In 1993 the building underwent extensive renovations to turn it into a café – it’s currently trading as Caffe Windsor – and in 2019 a large verandah that had been removed from the Matai Street side in the 1980s was fully reinstated.
Karen and Mike intend to repaint the exterior and replace a verandah roof and some guttering, among other jobs. The total project is likely to cost between $40,000 and $45,000, but they have some help in the form of a $19,000 NHPIF grant. Mike says they’re incredibly appreciative, as they realised funding is never a certainty and the long-overdue works still needed to happen.
“It’s a ‘custodian’ thing rather than a financial venture,” he says. “Both our families were original settlers here.”
“The Heritage New Zealand staff suggested that we could apply for this funding; they have given us contacts and kept us in the loop,” says Karen, adding that finishing the restoration in time for Inglewood’s 150th anniversary in January 2025 was driving them on Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga recently initiated court proceedings to ensure the inclusion of the Deem & Sheerer building in the New Plymouth District Plan heritage schedule – a move that Mike and Karen fully supported. Inclusion on the heritage schedule provides a level of protection for the building with respect to its recognised heritage values.
“It means that if we sell it, no one can come along and do something to the building that wouldn’t be respectful of its heritage value, and we think that’s important,” says Mike.
“People say, ‘Oh, your hands will be tied!’, but we have found it isn’t as constrictive as we thought it would be, and we all just want to ensure that this building is protected for the future.”
Artist John Badcock.
sided clock was restored by Malcolm Lyall.
WORDS AND IMAGE: MIKE HEYDON
WORDS AND IMAGE: MIKE HEYDON
Resting in peace
I first stumbled on Otago’s Lake Mahinerangi, inland from Outram, when I flew to Dunedin one day and spotted it from the air. The long fingers of the lake reaching into the green rolling hills piqued my interest, so it needed to be explored. Beneath the lake is the old goldmining town of Waipori, which was flooded in 1924 during the development of the Waipori hydroelectric power scheme. The only visible remaining evidence of the once bustling township is the cemetery along the northern shores of the lake. It’s a spectacular landscape, especially in late afternoon light.
Technical data
• Camera: Nikon D850
• Lens: 70-200mm 2.8
• ISO: 320
• Aperture: f/6.3
• Exposure: 1/400
ANCIENT WORDS
WORDS: SAHAR LONE
The discovery of an old Quran in a Northland collection could provide new insights into historical attempts to understand Islam in New Zealand
Heritage New Zealand magazine visited Ruatuna – an historic homestead in Te Tai Tokerau, Northland, which is open by appointment – on Labour Day weekend last year. While Ruatuna is famous for being the birthplace and childhood home of Joseph Gordon (Gordon) Coates, New Zealand’s 21st Prime Minister, I was there for a different reason: to see a rare book in the property’s extensive collection.
A distinctive white farmgate marks the entrance, with the name ‘Ruatuna’ in bold black lettering. Inside are remnants of the Coates’ lives: family portraits, military and political ephemera, and a vast collection of books, including 24 copies of the Bible (the Anglican family was deeply religious). But I was drawn to one book in particular: a second-edition English translation of the Holy Quran, printed in 1688 – one of the oldest copies in New Zealand.
Boris Bogdanovic, Manager Heritage Assets Northern Region for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, noticed numerous books on the Middle East during his time working at Ruatuna, and Mary Stevens, Visitor Services Coordinator, drew his attention to the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.
“I was surprised we had a copy, and then when I learned how old it was, and discovered its quality and obscurity, I was even more fascinated,” says Boris. “What excites me is that we have the chance to share it. I love the idea of it going on a hīkoi with some of our historical books. These
houses we care for on behalf of the nation hold astonishing collections that we sometimes don’t get to see.”
The sacred Quran is stored high and wrapped to protect it from dust. In Islam, it is handled only after wudhu (ablution), when one is deemed clean or paak, and I wore cotton gloves to handle this taonga. Muslims recite its 114 surahs, which contain the teachings of Prophet Mohammed, delivered by Allah through the archangel Gabriel. Raised in a devout Muslim family, with my grandfather helping to lay the foundations of Ponsonby’s Al-Masjid Al-Jamie Mosque, I grew up learning the Quran through after-school lessons.
This Quran, titled The Alcoran of Mahomet in reference to Muslims (then called ‘Mahomatens’), is in good condition. The pages, hand-cut and thick, feel almost untouched, unlike Coates’ mother Eleanor’s well-worn Bible.
It bears two names: Joseph Coates (both Gordon’s grandfather and great-grandfather were also named Joseph) and an earlier signature, that of a woman named Mary Powes. Mary Stevens initially believed
Powes was Welsh, but enquiries with museums in Wales ruled that out. Recent research has discovered several Mary Powes living in Shropshire, not far from the home in which Coates’ father Edward lived before he sailed to New Zealand in 1866.
“Hopefully, research into Shropshire records will reveal a connection between one of these Mary Powes and the Coates family,” says Mary.
Very little is known about how the Quran arrived in New Zealand or came to be at Ruatuna.
The homestead was built in 1877 by Edward from kauri timber, and features Gothic and Georgian architecture, with an expansive front verandah with views of the Kaipara Harbour. It sits on 2.5 hectares of land, includes a woolshed, dairy, Dutch barn,
and outhouse, and is listed as a Category 1 historic place on the Heritage New Zealand List/Rārangi Kōrero. The property came under the care of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga) in 1976.
Coates managed the farm and property in partnership with his younger brother Rodney after his father developed bipolar disorder in 1900. Ownership was retained by their mother, Eleanor, until she died in 1935.
The Coates family had strong connections to the hapū of Waihaua marae, often supplying them with meat from the farm. Rangatira Manukau Rewharewha summoned Edward to his deathbed before passing away in 1877. Gordon Coates had a Māori
“This is significant to New Zealand – it shows that even though New Zealand is a young country, our political forebears … had broad interests, including Islam”
1. The 1688 second edition of The Alcoran of Mahomet is one of many rare books in Ruatuna’s extensive collection. Image: Boris Bogdanovic
2. The expansive back patio of the kauri timber house at Ruatuna looks out to the Kaipara Harbour. Image: Grant Sheehan
nanny from a young age, and spoke some te reo Māori and also maintained close ties with several Māori MPs. He served as Minister of Native Affairs from 1921 to 1928 and championed the Māori Arts and Crafts Act 1926. Despite political differences, he counted Āpirana Ngata as a friend, and Princess Te Puea Hērangi referred to him as “my Prime Minister”.
As Prime Minister, Coates travelled extensively, including visits to France, Belgium, the UK and Ireland, and it may have been him or another member of the family who brought the Quran to New Zealand.
The early Anglo-European settlers were seeking to improve their own positions in the world and work with those around them, and perhaps the Coates family
acquired this Quran out of general interest and selfeducation. (Interestingly, two Muslims were among the crew of the French ship St Jean Baptiste when it visited Aotearoa to explore trade opportunities in 1769 – the same year as Lieutenant James Cook’s HMS Endeavour.)
In the 17th century, Europe’s curiosity about
Islam grew amid tensions between Christian and Muslim powers. The French, initially allied with the Ottoman Empire, sought to challenge Islam through crusades and missionary efforts. During this period, André du Ryer, a French diplomat and scholar fluent in Arabic, produced works reflecting these complex dynamics.
Du Ryer’s 1647 translation of the Quran, L’Alcoran de Mahomet, was one of the earliest to introduce Islamic teachings to Catholic Europe. It was both a scholarly endeavour and a response to the political and religious tensions of the time.
The 1649 English translation by Alexander Ross (a chaplain to Charles I), a copy of which exists in Auckland Libraries’ Heritage Collection in the Central City Library, further compromised the quality of the original. Ross’s translation reveals societal biases and reflects the prejudice toward Islam in Europe at the time. Another old Quran, dated 1609, is held in the National Library of New Zealand.
There’s no doubt that Arabic is unique and is a difficult language to translate. It’s known for its rich vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and punctuation. Many Arabic words simply do not exist in the English language to convey meaning and context comprehensively from Arabic text, so it is almost guaranteed to be misconstrued and misinterpreted and could be done so to serve an agenda.
The longest word in the Quran is ‘fa’asqaynākumūhu’,
1. Ruatuna is the birthplace of Gordon Coates, a prominent Northland politician and a former Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1925 and 1928.
Image: Grant Sheehan
2. Inside Ruatuna, the space feels rich with history, filled with objects that have been in the Coates family for generations. Image: Sahar Lone
3. Family portraits flank the fireplace of this architecturally significant homestead, bringing together Gothic and Georgian styles. Image: Sahar Lone
4. The inscription provides insight into the possible motivations to translate the Holy Quran at the time of publication.
Image: Boris Bogdanovic
5. Travels in Palestine is one of many books on the Middle East in the collection, reflecting the family’s curiosity about the world.
Image: Sahar Lone
6. The bedrooms reflect the humble structure of the homestead, a singlestorey gabled building with lean-to rooms. Image: Grant Sheehan
which translates as ‘so we gave it to you to drink’. This demonstrates how a sacred scripture like the Holy Quran, much like Te Tiriti o Waitangi, could have been mistranslated, whether intentionally or otherwise.
Zain Ali, Scholar of Islamic Studies at the University of Auckland, spent time as an Auckland Library Heritage Trust Researcher in Residence, examining Arabic and Islamic manuscripts held by the Sir George Grey Special Collections. He finds the discovery of the Quran at Ruatuna significant, and compares it to that of Thomas Jefferson, who owned a Quran before drafting the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson studied Islam’s links to English common law and envisioned a future where Muslims could be full citizens of the United States.
“It’s almost like there was a culture of collecting books
in the way that we pick up souvenirs,” says Zain. “That’s assuming that he picked this up – it could have been a gift.
“I find it interesting that it was likely translated with the intention of knowing thy enemy,” Zain continues.
“There’s also the idea of how to understand them and how to overcome them. I think this is significant to New Zealand – it shows that even though New Zealand is a young country, our political forebears were people of the world. They had broad interests, including Islam, which is interesting.”
Abdur Razzaq, Chair of the Federation of the Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) Royal Commission, believes the discovery of the Quran at Ruatuna was significant and would be of interest to the Muslim community in New Zealand.
“For the first time, 24 percent of Muslims in New Zealand were born here,” says Abdur.
“This is their home, and Qurans like this help to strengthen the national identity of New Zealand Muslims.”
The Quran also raises important questions for
Abdur, such as whether Coates may have been influenced by the text in his roles as Prime Minister and Minister of Justice.
Abdur reflects on how the understanding of Islam has evolved, particularly since the 2019 Christchurch attacks at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, in which 51 people were killed.
Following the tragedy, several senior government officials issued formal apologies to the Muslim community.
Abdur notes the efforts being made to address any issues, including training for senior government officials, and he believes the Prime Minister’s office now holds a Quran. Since the Christchurch attacks, thousands of Qurans translated into English have been distributed across the country, prompting FIANZ to request more copies from the UAE government.
Abdur is also aware of several other historical Qurans, including one given to former Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day 2009. That
Quran is now housed at Kilbirnie Mosque, alongside old loose sheets that were once used to teach the Quran. Another old copy is being donated to the Alexander Turnbull Library by a Nigerian migrant to Hamilton, passed down through generations of his family.
While I was writing this story, there was an arson attempt at the nearest mosque to my home, Imam Reza Mosque, in New Lynn, and significant damage occurred.
“The flames have caused immense damage, leaving
behind ruins and heartbreak,” an issued statement read.
“Yet, in the midst of it all, one remarkable sight stands as a symbol of hope, the Holy Quran remains untouched, a powerful reminder of resilience and faith.”
hapū: subtribe hīkoi: journey rangatira: chief taonga: treasure
FIBRE CLASS
WORDS: ANNA DUNLOP / IMAGERY: MIKE HEYDON
Harakeke has traditionally been the fibre that bound Aotearoa as a society, but an innovative Kiwi company says it has vast potential uses in 21st-century technology
With its towering, vibrant flowers and tall, sword-like leaves, harakeke – or New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) – is one of Aotearoa’s most recognisable plants, a perennial commonly found in wetlands, near rivers and on the coast.
What many might not know, however, is that this striking plant (which, despite its name, isn’t actually a flax but a species related to lilies) played a pivotal role in the development of New Zealand’s human landscape. It’s also one of the strongest natural fibres in the world.
It’s this strength that has reignited the interest of scientists and engineers, among them Ben Scales and Will Murrell, who came across the unique properties of harakeke while studying for their degrees in industrial design at the University of Canterbury Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha.
“We were trying to solve the issues relating to cabbage tree leaf and harakeke as waste materials,” says Ben. “The plants can’t go into the green bin because they can damage the compost shredders, and we thought, either the machines are really weak or the fibre is really strong. That was our introduction to harakeke.”
The pair founded KiwiFibre Innovations in 2020, which aims to replace environmentally damaging carbon fibre and fibreglass with a harakeke-based composite material. So far they’ve used it to make pickleball paddles, snowboards, surfboards – and even the bumpers and roof of race driver Hayden Paddon’s electric rally car.
“Harakeke fibre is very exciting from the perspective of 21st-century technology,” says Ben. “It’s longer, stronger, stiffer and hollower than hemp, linen, jute and other natural fibres, so it could have applications in almost any industry, whether as a composite material, a textile, or even something as rudimentary as a roadside stabilisation fabric.”
“The potential uses for harakeke are vast,” agrees KiwiFibre Innovations Director Mark Henderson, who runs Biotenax Limited at the company’s Tāwiniwini Bio-discovery Gardens in Wellsford and is a director and business and biodiversity advisor of Ngāti Ruapani ki Uta ki Tai Co-operative Society.
Mark also chairs and founded (with the co-op) Te Hononga Hapori Harakeke|The Harakeke Community Alliance, which was established in April 2022 by iwi, research institutes, universities and various experts and other members (including KiwiFibre Innovations) to, as Mark says, “sustainably revitalise the harakeke industry”.
Revitalise is the operative word. Aotearoa once had a thriving – but now largely forgotten – flax milling industry, and for a time harakeke fibre was the country’s biggest export, shipped worldwide to make rope and twine.
Of course, Māori have long known the incredible properties of harakeke, which is a sacred taonga. “Harakeke is part of our whakapapa,” says textile conservator Rangi Te Kanawa. “In the past, every marae had an established pā harakeke, and it was an integral part of being Māori.”
hauora: health
kākahu: clothes
kaupapa: principles, ideas kete: bag/s kono: baskets
kupenga: fishing nets
mākoi: mussel shells pā harakeke: flax bushes or plantation rongoā: traditional Māori medicine
taonga: treasure
taura: rope
tikanga: customary practices
whakapapa: genealogy
whānau: family
whāriki: mat/s whenua: land
1. Harakeke thrives on unproductive land, such as wetlands, floodplains and riparian zones.
Image: William Murrell
2. Flax fibre is one of the strongest natural fibres in the world.
3. KiwiFibre Innovations has made rally car parts from a harakeke-based composite material.
4. Will Murrell (left) and Ben Scales founded KiwiFibre Innovations in 2020.
Imagery: KiwiFibre
“The plant is just waiting to be used – it’s a completely sustainable resource that needs no fertilisers or sprays and introduces massive biodiversity to any area in which it grows”
Rangi has strong whakapapa in Māori textiles, and she recently completed a two-year project at Massey University Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa to produce an upholstery-quality woven textile successfully using just harakeke and water.
She says harakeke represents whānau and grows in a whānau structure.
“There’s the rito [child or inner shoots], which are protected on each side by the awhi rito [parent leaves] and then the tūpuna [grandparent or outer leaves],” says Rangi.
“According to tikanga, only the tūpuna are harvested, and the rito and awhi rito must be left untouched until matured for harvest.”
Early Māori used harakeke in rongoā: pia harakeke, the sticky gel found at the base of the sheaths, was used to heal wounds and burns; the juice from the roots was applied as a disinfectant; and the leaves were used as dressings and to bind broken bones. The leaves were also used in weaving, to make whāriki, kono and kete.
“According to tikanga, only the tūpuna are harvested, and the rito and awhi rito must be left untouched until matured for harvest”
However, it was the discovery of muka, or flax fibre, that was the game changer. Māori stripped muka from a harakeke leaf using mākoi, softened it by pounding and plied it into thread to weave kākahu, kupenga and taura.
“Muka is beautifully strong, it has a lovely sheen, like silk,” says Rangi. “Whatu – the twining technique employed by Māori to make fabric – is one of the oldest weaving techniques known to mankind.”
Māori were active with Pākehā in the early flax trade and sold hand-dressed harakeke and muka made into ropes as early as 1793, often in return for goods such as muskets and blankets. Trade also began with Australia, peaking in the 1820s and 1830s, but soon declined, predominantly because hand stripping could not provide the amount required.
Thirty years later, the invention of a mechanical stripper in the late 1860s (a machine that beat leaves between a revolving metal drum and a fixed metal bar to expose the fibre) vastly increased output – although it didn’t produce fibre of the same quality as muka – and led to the development of flax milling as an industry in New Zealand.
Flax milling played a big part in the country’s economy until the 1970s. It was, however, a boom-and-bust industry, heavily influenced
2
by world events, including World War I, the American Civil War and, perhaps most significantly, the Great Depression of the 1930s. The industry was saved during the latter by the domestic market for flax woolpacks but, eventually, harakeke couldn’t compete with the proliferation of cheaper synthetic fibres.
“At its peak in the 1890s and early 1900s, there were around 700 flax mills across New Zealand, but by 1972 there were just six,” says Vaughan Templeton, who runs Templeton Flax Mill in Ōtaetae/Otaitai Bush near Riverton, which now operates as a museum.
“The harakeke industry was hugely important for New Zealand – it was a big employer and, as far as I know, the only one to use a sustainable native plant.”
Templeton Flax Mill, a Category 1 historic place, is thought to be the only surviving flax mill with its machinery in working order and on the site on which it operated, and has been in Vaughan’s family for generations.
“My great-grandfather, William Templeton, started flax milling here in 1911, then it passed to my grandfather in 1924,” says Vaughan.
“The family ran it through ups and downs until 1971 when it finally closed.”
3.
4.
1. Vaughan and Megan Templeton run the Templeton Flax Mill Museum near Riverton.
2. Vaughan harvests harakeke from the mill’s pā harakeke ...
... and prepares it for processing.
The flax mill still has its machinery in working order.
The Templeton Flax Milling Heritage Trust was set up in 2000 to restore and preserve the buildings, structures and machinery, and the museum opened in 2004. It now showcases relics and memorabilia related to flax milling in Southland and runs live demonstrations of fibre stripping and scutching (a combing system that removes the flax tips from the fibre), using leaves from the mill’s pā harakeke.
“Commercial stripping uses a lot of water and forces a lot of the harakeke juice through the fibre, so it looks quite green, and it also has notches on it where the blades rip off the vegetation,” says Vaughan.
“Those are the key difference between harakeke fibre stripped by machine and traditional hand-dressed muka, which is beautifully white and smooth.”
KiwiFibre Innovations’ Ben and Will used Templeton Flax Mill’s stripping machine as a model for their own, with the intention of improving it because, as Vaughan points out, “you can do things so much better now”. Rangi has also engineered a machine to extract fibre of the same quality as muka that is manually extracted using mākoi, and is preparing to make it portable and available to anyone who wants to grow harakeke.
The Templeton Flax Milling Heritage Trust is a member of Te Hononga Hapori Harakeke, and, in its role as a keeper of the machinery, techniques, knowledge and ‘old ways’, is keen to support the alliance, says Vaughan.
“Harakeke has traditionally been the fibre that’s bound New Zealand as a society,” he says. “The plant is just waiting to be used – it’s a completely sustainable resource that needs no fertilisers or sprays and introduces massive biodiversity to any area in which it grows.”
Sarah Gallagher, Area Manager Otago/ Southland for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, says that the Templeton Flax Mill complex is incredibly significant, as both a working mill and a place to learn about the history of the industry. “That value is amplified given the history and knowledge of the Templeton family, who continue to run the mill more than 100 years after it was built.”
She adds: “It’s very exciting to think that this industry could be reinvigorated in New Zealand. Informed by tikanga and our industrial heritage, we could see huge biodiversity, climate and economic benefits from a revitalised harakeke industry.”
“Much of the land within Māori land trusts is not practical for horticulture or agriculture, but it’s perfect for harakeke. That land could be turned into a resilient, biodiverse asset”
Mark agrees, adding that the significant environmental benefits of harakeke extend well beyond its use as a sustainable replacement for synthetic fibres, and it has huge potential in repairing the whenua and fighting climate change, while also providing a plethora of extracts and other byproducts.
“Like many of Aotearoa’s native plants, harakeke grows in clusters and is pollinated by birds, such as the tūī and korimako, which improves biodiversity,” he says. “It also has an extensive root system that, along with other native plants, stabilises the land and riverbanks better than introduced species such as pine, willow and poplar.”
In addition, he continues, unlike hemp and linen, which are commonly grown commercially on food-producing land, harakeke thrives on unproductive land such as wetlands, floodplains and riparian zones.
Mark says Te Hononga Hapori Harakeke envisages the development of underutilised land unsuitable for traditional horticulture,
agriculture and forestry to grow harakeke, incorporating much-needed biodiversity enhancement. This ‘architecture of planting’ involves riparian (planting riparian strips and cleaning up waterways), revegetation (planting native flora to improve biodiversity and environmental protections), restoration (particularly of wetlands) and transition (retiring non-productive farmland, such as floodplains, for harakeke planting).
He adds that a revitalised harakeke industry would provide an opportunity to reconnect Māori with their heritage.
“Much of the land within Māori land trusts is not practical for horticulture or agriculture, but it’s perfect for harakeke. That land could be turned into a resilient, biodiverse asset.”
Rangi agrees. “My kaupapa is about restoring pā harakake,” she says. “It’s in our DNA and I believe we should use it the way we used to.”
In 2024 KiwiFibre Innovations harvested harakeke from two farms in Canterbury – one near Lake Ellesmere and the other near the Rakaia Gorge – and Ben says following tikanga and drawing on lessons learned from the past are important to the company.
“I believe part of the reason that the flax milling industry died out is because it didn’t follow tikanga – they cut away the entire plant and it would take eight years to grow back,” he says.
“Tikanga just makes so much sense; it’s sustainable and you get much better commercial and economic yields if you harvest just the tūpuna – and it’s better for the hauora of the plant.”
He adds: “The entire world – even that out in space – is reliant on synthetic, manmade, incredibly environmentally and societally damaging materials, and harakeke can play a central role in replacing them.”
HOLDING THE FORT
WORDS: KAYLA CAMPBELL / IMAGERY: MIKE HEYDON
A group of dedicated volunteers has breathed new life into an important piece of Wellington’s wartime history
Chair of the Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society Mike Lee believes Karori’s 23.3-centimetre (9.2-inch) coastal defence batteries are Wellington’s best-kept secret.
“I think it’s a throwover from a long, long time ago during the war – this was all non-enterable property,” he says. “There were barbed-wire fences around, and so the public of Karori knew something was going on, but they didn’t really know what because they weren’t allowed up.”
Today, thanks to the work of the society and its volunteers, a nationally significant piece of New Zealand’s wartime history is accessible to all.
Wrights Hill Fortress was intended as an anti-ship battery to protect Wellington from enemy attack by Germany and Japan during World War II. The site consists of three aboveground gun emplacements, with underground shelters, pump chambers, plotting rooms, an engine room, a radio room and an observation
post, all connected by 620 metres of concrete tunnelling. The firing range of its 125-tonne guns allowed it to command Cook Strait.
The scale of the site, as visitors can attest, demonstrates the gravity of the security threat New Zealand faced during World War II. Chosen as the site for a coastal defence as early as 1934, Wrights Hill had been farmland since the 1870s. The fortress is now designated a Category 1 historic place and the surrounding area a recreation reserve.
The prohibitive cost of the recommended guns postponed the development of the batteries. It wasn’t until war broke out in the Pacific Ocean theatre in December 1941 that the coastal defence situation was reevaluated in the new climate of fear. Even then, the standard British ‘cut and fill’ design required an unfeasible amount of reinforcing steel. Rather than being an aboveground structure, Wrights Hill Fortress was developed as an underground battery with more than half a kilometre of semi-circular tunnels.
The Public Works Department, alongside contractor Downer & Co, began work on the fortress in the spring of 1942. The weather, typical of Wellington, became boisterous as winter rolled in. At that stage, moisture was identified as problematic for the stored ammunitions and electro-mechanical equipment. Even today, rust and water damage is a source of ongoing and costly maintenance.
Much of the construction was completed by 1943. “The men and firms who worked around the clock in eight-hour shifts to build the fortress in a record time deserve mention as part of the war effort,” says Mike.
1. Mike Lee at an entrance to the fortress. The steel doors pictured were installed as part of the restoration.
“I could immediately see both the historical and architectural significance of the fortress – and the importance of conserving and restoring it for future generations”
A feat of civil engineering that was completed at great pace, the work was deprioritised once the situation in the Pacific improved. Two, rather than the anticipated three guns, were installed in 1944. The rationale for the fortress was reimagined as a facility for training personnel, and it was completed to this standard.
The guns were never fired for defence reasons, but a test firing of gun no. 1 was undertaken on 28 June 1946, followed by gun no. 2 on 26 March 1947. The three rounds fired into Cook Strait by gun no. 1 broke windows in the wartime shelters and affected residential buildings on nearby Verviers Street in Karori – but proved that everything else worked as intended.
The guns were scrapped in 1960 and access points to the tunnels were sealed. Decades of neglect followed, until in 1988 the Karori Lions Club began cleaning up the site.
Alistair Scadden, Newsletter Editor for the Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society, first had his interest piqued when he explored the abandoned fortress as a teenager in the 1970s.
“We didn’t explore the entire tunnel system on that occasion, so when the Karori Lions staged the first legitimate open day at the fortress in 1989, I was very keen to complete the job,” he says. Former City Councillor Val
1. Mike Lee standing inside one of the unique semi-circular concrete tunnels inside Wrights Hill Fortress, demonstrating their scale.
2. Some of the original signs and notices at the main entrance to the fortress.
3. One of the fortress tunnels showing the painting restoration work using the New Zealand Army’s original colourcoding.
1. L-R: Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society Chair Mike Lee, Secretary Rick Smith and Newsletter Editor Alistair Scadden in the engine room with the two Ruston & Hornsby engines.
2. One of the original Ruston & Hornsby engines.
3. Directions to no. 3 gun area and plotting rooms.
4. A map showing the locations and firing ranges of the Wrights Hill Fortress guns.
Bedingfield and her late husband Phil led the organisation on the first open day on ANZAC Day in 1989. About 4000 people attended.
Mike, who has a background in journalism, was recruited to the restoration effort around this time by Phil, who later passed the role of chair to Mike.
“I always had an interest in history, and I thought to myself that I wanted to give back something to the community,” says Mike.
Alistair joined the society in the mid-1990s. “I could immediately see both the historical and architectural significance of the fortress – and the importance of conserving and restoring it for future generations,” he says.
His grandfather, who served in both world wars and was an expert on radar guidance systems, inspired his interest in coastal defence.
The fortress is accessible to the public on open days, which happen four times a year on Waitangi Day, ANZAC Day, King’s Birthday and Labour Day. Kerryn Pollock, Area Manager Central Region and Senior Heritage Assessment Advisor for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, says these are wonderful opportunities for people to connect with New Zealand’s history face to face. “The society does a great job of creating a memorable experience for visitors of all ages.”
The money raised on open days and from private tours is a lifeline for the society; it not only funds the restoration directly but is also a great moral support.
“The public feedback is really important when you’re doing this sort of work; you feel as though you’re valued in what you’re doing. And my committee says that to me as well,” says Mike. “It keeps us all going.”
Mike says the current committee has varied interests, including mechanical, military and historical. “It’s a good blend of people.” The committee comprises six people and the 50 society members support them in a variety of ways, including through donating, volunteering and administration work.
Thanks to the many years of Wednesday evening working bees, substantial restoration has taken place in the radio room, the drainage system and gun pit no. 1 – around the rim of which a compass protractor has been painstakingly repainted. The society has plans to continue restoration in several areas, including waterproofing the rest of the concrete, rebuilding the inside of the command post, and repainting the tunnels in one of the areas.
The engine room is one of Mike’s favourite parts of the site, and he aspires to get the huge Ruston & Hornsby engines running again. New pistons will need to be manufactured, as many were taken by souvenir-seekers during the period of disuse.
“One day there could be loudspeakers in the tunnels like they have in other countries, where you’ve got the sound of marching feet,” he says.
With just a small team of volunteers and given the cost of materials, however, Mike is pragmatic about putting one foot in front of the other.
“It is quite a challenge, and you can sometimes feel as though you’re not getting anywhere, but you actually are.”
The building of Wrights Hill Fortress, alongside two other fortresses that were constructed simultaneously in Auckland, is one of the largest and best representated coastal defence projects undertaken in New Zealand to date. But as Alistair notes, it is “so much more”. “It’s become a symbol of our national resistance to very real threats, in a very fraught time.”
Mike concurs. “I think the site is an important part of New Zealand’s wartime history – it graphically depicts the measures the New Zealand Government went to in order to protect the country from possible enemy invasion or bombardment in the 1940s.
“Hopefully, things will continue progressing and we’ll get more people to help where we have perhaps left off,” says Mike. “But it will survive, and certainly from the point of view of it being a structure, it’s going to remain forever.”
A timeless stay
The perfect blend of heritage and hospitality is a powerful drawcard for overnight guests at Hawke’s Bay’s grand homesteads
WORDS: JACQUI GIBSON
Hawke’s Bay Tourism Chief Executive Hamish Saxton reckons his region – which extends from Māhia in the northeast to Pōrangahau in the south and takes in towns such as Napier, Hastings and Wairoa –is blessed with almost a dozen heritage stays.
“Such properties have great stories about rural life, bygone eras, and local characters,” he says.
“Many are set in beautiful, park-like surroundings, where impressive plantings of introduced deciduous trees are at their most colourful in autumn. Our warm temperatures linger long after summer has ended, so it’s still a perfect time to explore the region.”
One such property in Hawke’s Bay is Wallingford Homestead. Manager Jeanette Woerner, an Australian expat and longtime restaurateur, runs the luxury lodge with her Kiwi husband Chris Stockdale, an award-winning chef. She says their guests choose to holiday at Wallingford year-round for many reasons.
A love of heritage is common, she says, but often guests just want peace and quiet and the chance to switch off in beautiful surroundings.
“These grand old places are often tucked away on remote properties with spectacular rural views from every window,” she says.
Located about half an hour’s drive southeast of Waipukurau, Wallingford Homestead, rebuilt in 1901 after a fire, is a 1000-square-metre property catering to a maximum of 15 guests.
Although the property is run as a traditional bed and breakfast, visitors can ratchet up the culinary factor should they choose to partake in fine dining, sourdough-making lessons or truffle hunting in winter.
Dubbed a ‘Cuisine Hotel Destination’ by Cuisine magazine in 2023, Wallingford Homestead has made a name for itself as a heritage stop for serious foodies, with experiences such as the Slow Food Journey and
Truffle Weekend. That said, Jeanette never misses an opportunity to share Wallingford Homestead’s fascinating history with guests.
“When people arrive, I like to show them around the property, slowly imparting what I know about Wallingford as we pass points of interest.
“In the main hallway, for example, portraits of the original owner, JD Ormond, a British sheep farmer, and the four generations who subsequently owned the homestead, are my cue to explain why the family came to New Zealand and how JD Ormond rose through the ranks to become a local MP.”
Other talking points in the house include an original visitors’ guest book and the property’s heritage-listed woolshed (Category 2), where guests can watch live shearing.
The building’s single-storey design and mataī and rimu furnishings intrigue people too, says Jeanette.
“We’re very careful about maintenance on the property and how and what we alter. Guests love that Wallingford still feels like an original homestead that hasn’t lost its character.
“We’ve carefully reroofed and repiled the homestead since arriving about seven years ago. As we continue to make changes to increase the comfort of our guests’ experience – by adding things like dimmable lighting, centralised music and heating, and soft furnishings –we are mindful of retaining Wallingford’s heritage.
Above: Wallingford Homestead, Hawke’s Bay. Image: Hawke’s Bay Tourism.
Page 48, clockwise from left: Truffle grove, Wallingford Homestead; welcome note; sourdough making with chef Chris Stockdale; dining room; Wallingford hosts Jeanette Woerner and Chris Stockdale; Wallingford living room (Image: Kirsten Simcox Photography); day nursery room verandah.
Centre: A Slow Food Journey dish of fresh peas, yoghurt and watercress.
Imagery: Jacqui Gibson
“These grand old places are often tucked away on remote properties with spectacular rural views from every window”
“In the great hall and dining room, we burn wood from the property in the original open fires, which are a constant source of delight for guests. Family memorabilia have been repurposed. We use old book covers to house our wine menus, while original antique lemon squeezers are paperweights for our guests’ welcome letters.”
At Gwavas Garden and Homestead, a Category 1-listed heritage property in Tikokino, the nine-hectare woodland Garden of National Significance is a drawcard for guests.
Run by Phyllida and Stuart Gibson, the property has been owned by Phyllida’s family since it was built more than a century ago.
“It’s that authentic family connection and the wonderful gardens Phyll’s dad maintained over the years that really make this place special,” says Stuart, who lives with his wife on the property.
Inside the 900-square-metre homestead, the native timber panelling is considered a standout example of its kind, according to the New Zealand Heritage List/ Rārangi Kōrero listing details.
Available to no more than six overnight guests at a time, Gwavas hosts weddings and is a popular fixture on Central Hawke’s Bay’s annual Spring Fling Festival garden tour calendar. (The tour also visits the adjoining Puahanui Bush, one of the most significant pieces of lowland podocarp forest left in New Zealand, which has been protected by Phyllida’s family for more than a century.)
In the 1970s, Gwavas featured in The Governor, a New Zealand docudrama television miniseries about Governor Sir George Grey.
For people keen to delve deep into its history, Stuart recommends staying for a weekend and joining the family for a home-cooked dinner.
“There’s so much to share with guests about the history of the house, and farming life then and now. The entire garden is catalogued. We know the provenance of everything here. Besides that, autumn is a great time to stay. Those vibrant colours start about mid-April and stick around until the first weeks of May.”
On State Highway 50, not far from Takapau in Central Hawke’s Bay, managers John Ahern and Giovanni Fabricius run Ashcott Homestead as a bed and breakfast, welcoming hundreds of visitors every year. Built in the 1850s, the Category 2-listed property takes a maximum of 13 overnight guests.
Giovanni says visitors from all over the world stay at the historic property, with most being keen to hear its backstory. Like Wallingford and Gwavas, Ashcott Homestead was built by New Zealand’s early pastoral farmers who, in Ashcott’s case, were two brothers from Somerset, England.
“People find its mixed aesthetic style, being part villa and part bungalow, interesting. Like many settler homes, it started as a villa and was added onto as the owners prospered,” explains Giovanni.
Today, John and Giovanni retell its story to guests stopping by on organised bus tours, staying
1. Azalea garden, Gwavas.
2. Gwavas owners Phyllida and Stuart Gibson.
3. Tōtara-panelled hall, Gwavas. Imagery: supplied
THREE HERITAGE STAYS IN HAWKE’S BAY
overnight as independent travellers and as Spring Fling ticket holders.
In 1920, for example, the then Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VIII) played tennis at Ashcott during his New Zealand visit to thank the Dominion for its war contribution. There’s a photograph of the occasion displayed in the homestead.
“Our guests tell us they love visiting,” says Giovanni. “Every year, our Spring Fling event sells out. People really enjoy interesting experiences that take them somewhere unique. These historic places can do that and treat you to a lovely meal and great conversation at the same time.”
Hamish Saxton agrees that the region’s historic properties offer travellers something a bit special.
“There’s something luxurious about the scale of heritage buildings,” he says. “There’s a familiarity in the way the properties almost embrace you from your arrival, partly because of their history and standing in the area. They have such heart and soul. Tourism, in turn, allows for these large homes to remain filled with life and activity, and with renewed purpose.”
4. Ashcott Homestead.
5. Ashcott’s entry hall.
6. Sitting room, Ashcott Homestead. Imagery: supplied
WALLINGFORD HOMESTEAD | WALLINGFORD
At Wallingford Homestead you can stay as an overnight or weekend guest or book experiences such as the Slow Food Journey or Truffle Weekend. For more information, see wallingford.co.nz
GWAVAS GARDEN AND HOMESTEAD | TIKOKINO
Visit Gwavas Garden and Homestead as an overnight or weekend guest or buy a ticket to the Central Hawke’s Bay Homestead Trail, a one-day Spring Fling event stopping at Gwavas, as well as Ashcott Homestead and Woburn Station Homestead (Category 2). For more information about this Category 1-listed property, see gwavasgarden.co.nz
ASHCOTT HOMESTEAD | TAKAPAU
Book an overnight stay at Ashcott Homestead, a Category 2 listed building in Central Hawke’s Bay, online, or find out how to visit during the Spring Fling in September and October. For more information, see ashcotthomestead.com n
5 6
WORDS: ANNA KNOX heart of this Whanganui biography, around which many other stories of patrons, artists, gallery employees, mayors and historical figures are woven.
Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery: A Whanganui Biography
Martin Edmond
RRP $65
(Massey University Press)
A strapline to Martin Edmond’s history of the Serjeant describes the gallery as “one of New Zealand’s most important”. This may have been Ellen Serjeant’s vision when, following her husband’s death in 1912, she bequeathed £30,000 to establish a gallery “furnished with works of the highest art in all its branches as means of inspiration for ourselves and those who come after us”.
For over a century, however, this vision was not always borne out. With the opening this year of the new wing of the Serjeant, first investigated in 1977 under the directorship of Gordon Brown, the gallery can now comfortably claim this status. “The Serjeant will be the best collecting and exhibiting space in the country,” says former director Greg Anderson.
The story of the heritagelisted gallery’s transformation over time, towards this hopeful end point, is the
Mayor Charles Mackay, whose name was removed from the foundation stone following his shooting of D’Arcy Cresswell in 1920, is one of the better known. (The site of the shooting was the first entry on the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Rainbow List, and Mackay’s name was reinstated in 1985.)
The tribute to Gordon Brown is inspirational, and the portrait of Edith Collier a good account of an artist whose work remains an important part of the gallery’s collection. The riveting account of the more recent spectacle of Michael Laws’ vicious effort to derail the extension project in the 2000s, in which he succeeded, and the proposed dispersal of the collection, which did not eventuate, are reminders of how the health of our cultural institutions is subjected constantly to political winds.
Post 2010, an earthquake report showed the building was only 5 percent compliant, and shortly afterwards a piece of concrete “fell from the ceiling and struck the marble bust of Henry Serjeant, perhaps symbolically”. It was a tight margin that decided against closing the gallery and mothballing the building.
The story of the physical building and its heritage receives some attention, and there’s good detail on certain elements; for example, Samuel Hurst Seagar’s pioneering top-side-lighting system in the gallery, a variation of which is now standard throughout the world.
The new wing of the gallery opened on 9 November 2024.
Woolsheds: The Historic Shearing Sheds of Aotearoa New
Zealand
Annette O’Sullivan and Jane Ussher
RRP
$85 (HB) (Massey University Press)
The highlight of this large, illustrated volume of historic woolsheds in Aotearoa comes right towards the end, in a series of images showing three generations of the Ratapu whānau at work and then at rest in the woolshed at Puketoro station, which until 2000 was still owned by the family of Church Missionary Society missionary William Williams. In these images, there’s a strong sense of the past in the present – the liveliness of a working woolshed, its distinctive sounds, smells and sights – unfolding within the centenarian walls.
A startling photo of Romdale rams waiting to be shorn strikes at the animals’ nervous, warm presence and reminds us why the woolshed is there. These images are in contrast to the rest of the predominantly artefactual photographs, which feature no people or animals, with the occasional abandoned tool, as if taken in the wake of an ovine apocalypse.
Each of the 15 woolsheds in the book is introduced with a short history, following a formula that covers the
history of the station or farm, the history of its first operators, the physical structure of the woolshed, and the contemporary use and ownership. Notably, each section includes good detail of the materials used in the buildings, and of their architecturally unique or interesting features.
The book grew out of a design PhD, looking at the branding histories of New Zealand sheep stations. The details are sound, but there is a disconnect between Māori and Pākehā histories in the text, and it sometimes reads as if the former has been overlaid. A description of the Nevis Valley – “Here there’s just the soughing of the wind, the occasional bellow of cattle and the bleating of sheep . . . Up high a hawk may circle, farm dogs may bark . . . it’s very much as it always has been” – marks a strange conclusion to a chapter that opens: “There is ancient Māori history in Central Otago”.
Rēwena and Rabbit Stew: The Rural Kitchen in Aotearoa, 1800-1940
Katie Cooper RRP $49.99 (Auckland University Press)
The title of Katie Cooper’s beautifully thoughtprovoking book is somewhat misleading. The book ranges far from the linchpin of the kitchen itself to draw a remarkably representative account of rural life in Aotearoa through the 19th century and into the 20th.
Katie says her goal for the book was to “demonstrate the diversity of rural lives and to incorporate as wide a range of viewpoints and experiences as possible”. This has largely been achieved, as we move from te ao Pākehā to te ao Māori and up and down through the classes exploring a huge range of subjects – and objects – including hāngi, picnics, stoves, gender roles, land-use systems, land tenure, provisioning, hospitality – or ‘culinary diplomacy’ – and even, awful thought, the history of preserved eggs. A high number of primarysource individual accounts, including many from the Waitangi Tribunal reports, capture at a granular level the complex realities of rural lives.
Though packaged as more general reading, the book is essentially academic (the outcome of a PhD thesis), and at times the clank of subtitle divisions and introductory arguments let the otherwise eloquent prose down. Some of this scaffolding could have been removed. But the writing does the job of its historical scholarship exceedingly well, and includes good broad summaries of a diverse range of research and academic arguments in the field from the past several decades.
Perhaps the most interesting achievement of the book is the balancing of both an admiration of the industry and achievements of settlers and an awareness of their devastation on existing people and systems. In this way Katie succeeds in showing that the “seemingly stable and idyllic countryside” has a “fraught and fractured history”.
BOOK GIVEAWAY
We have one copy of Woolsheds to give away. To enter the draw, send your name and address on the back of an envelope to Book Giveaways, Heritage New Zealand, PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140, before 30 March 2025. The winner of last issue’s book giveaway (The Invasion of Waikato / Te Riri ki Tainui) was Gaye Matthews of Auckland.
Other titles of interest
Becoming Aotearoa: A New History of New Zealand
Micheal Belgrave
RRP $65 (HB) (Massey University Press)
A major national history of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Modern Women: Flight of Time
Julia Waite
RRP $65 (Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki)
Profiling 44 trailblazing artists. Beautifully illustrated with more than 120 full-colour images.
Te Whiti o Rongomai and the Resistance of Parihaka
Danny Keenan
$45 (Huia)
An account of the life and times of Te Whiti o Rongomai set against the politics and Crown policies of the 19th century.
Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art Deidre Brown and Ngarino Ellis, with Jonathan Mane-Wheoki
$99.99 HB (Auckland University Press)
A 600-page landmark account of Māori art from the time of the tūpuna (ancestors) to the present day, including 500 images.
Te Hau Kāinga: The Māori Home Front During the Second World War
Angela Wanhalla, Sarah Christie, Lachy Paterson, Ross Webb and Erica Newman
$59.99 HB (Auckland University Press)
This book tells the story of the profound transformations in Māori life during World War II.
Poutini: The Ngāi Tahu History of the West Coast
Paul Magdwick
$75 HB (Oratia Books)
This landmark volume documents the remarkable Māori history of the South Island’s West Coast.
Kāwai: Tree of Nourishment
Monty Soutar
$39.99 (Bateman Books)
The second novel in the Kāwai series of historical novels set in Aotearoa.
The Writing Desk
Di Morris
$45 (Bateman Books)
A beautifully crafted graphic novel about two sisters born and raised on a South Canterbury farm in the mid-1870s. n
My heritage place
AS TOLD TO ANNA DUNLOP
Ibought Sweetgum Cottage in Hunua in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic. I had always wanted to create a cottage garden because I love that old-fashioned fairytale look, like something out of a children’s book.
One of the original crofters’ cottages in the area, it was built for local farmer Thomas James Lockwood, who arrived from England in 1879. The Lockwoods are one of Hunua’s founding families and are well known in these parts – the Hunua Church is built on Lockwood Road, and many family members still live in the area.
The two-bedroom cottage was built in the late 1800s, but the first time it appeared on land records was in 1934 when the title was issued to Thomas’s wife, Lilias. In fact, I have that handwritten title framed on the cottage’s sitting room wall.
For
gardening expert Lynda
Hallinan,
her iconic colonial cottage in Hunua is a heritage gem worth celebrating
The cottage has only been publicly listed for sale twice. Before it was mine, it was owned by Auckland furniture maker William Dawn. He bought it from the Lockwood family in 1942, sight unseen, intending to use it as a wartime bolthole for his family in case the Japanese invaded during World War II. Obviously, they never did, but the Dawn family used it as a holiday home in the countryside for 77 years. In 1946, they planted the huge American sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) after which the cottage is named.
The cottage was built out of hand-sawn kauri from the nearby Hunua Ranges but was in pretty poor condition when I bought it –although it came with all of William’s original furniture. When we restored the cottage, we salvaged everything we could, reusing the borer-eaten floorboards and sarking boards to line the walls of the old barn.
We recycled everything and have maintained the cottage’s authenticity as much as possible: we installed second-hand windows; our hall doors came from the Papakura Masonic Lodge, which was recently demolished; and the cottage’s old chimney bricks now edge the garden path. I spent a lot of time in demolition yards looking for vintage things, and the only truly modern thing in the whole cottage is the microwave.
Covid-19, the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle all conspired to slow down the restoration process, but we recently had the hot water installed so the interior is nearly finished. The cottage is in a flood zone as the Wairoa River flows along the bottom boundary, but so far the house has remained untouched even though the paddocks regularly go under.
The garden is also coming along. It has beautiful heritage fruit trees – Golden Delicious apples and lovely old plums. The plum trees produce at least 100 kilograms of fruit each year, so I make a lot of jam.
I think it’s essential to honour these cottage types as part of the history of rural New Zealand. They might not be formally listed as heritage places, but they have significant family histories and were very important to the people who lived in them.
Established in 1854 the School has a colourful history. View student records, Collegians, old boys’ war medals and letters, photos, uniforms, cups and trophies, newsletters and programmes.
GROUP TOURS Up to 10 people. Can be arranged by contacting Richard Bourne 0274 812 324 or email museum@ collegiate.school.nz
Email museum@collegiate.school.nz Visit us at ehive.com/collections/3324 Whanganui Collegiate School, Liverpool St, Whanganui
Your itinerary to history where it happened