The Nelson Provincial Museum, Pupuri Taonga O Te Tai Ao is a regional museum in the city of Nelson, New Zealand. The museum showcases the Nelson and Tasman regions' history, from geological origins to the stories of individuals and families.[1]
Nelson Provincial Museum holds over 1.4 million items of interest, collected during the past 160 years. Exhibitions are shown in a modern building that opened in 2005, costing NZ$5 million, funded by the community, private and public benefactors, the Nelson City Council, Tasman District Council and central government. The collections, professional staff and public research services are housed in the former museum building, which is located in Isel Park, Stoke.
History
The Literary and Scientific Institution of Nelson was founded in May 1841 in the Bay of Biscay amongst the officers of the preliminary Expedition of the Second Colony, on board the New Zealand Company's ships Whitby and Will-Watch.[2]
Prior to the expedition reaching Tenerife, a sum of money was subscribed amongst the officers. It was transmitted back to England with directions for the selection of a number of books "of a useful character", which would form the basis of the library of the Institution.[2]
While a large number of books were acquired, subscribed to and collected by friends and associates of the Colony and Colonialists, the Committee noted that "they would be glad to receive maps, charts manuscripts, drawings, paintings, engravings, sculptures, casts, models of inventions and objects of natural history generally. These will be placed in the Museum of the Institution, and a record will be kept of the names of the donors."[2]
In late 1842 the Literary and Scientific Institution of Nelson (the institute) opened on Trafalgar Street, firstly as a library (with attached Museum storehouse) and subsequently incorporating the museum, with a membership of sixty by 1844.
By 1861 the Institute had outgrown its Trafalgar Street premises and relocated to a wooden building in Hardy Street. Fire broke out in 1906. While most of the collection was rescued, it was resolved to rebuild as a brick building, which opened in 1912. Until 1963, the museum was located on the second level of the institute, with the Nelson Library located on the first level.
Independence grew throughout the 1960s with the relocation of the Museum firstly to the former home of the Marsden family (Isel House), and subsequently to a concrete block construction, designed by Alex Bowman, which opened in 1973.
A Māori History Gallery was opened in 1983m the teaching space was modified in 1984, and in a new workshop, storeroom and darkroom was completed in 1986.
The Nelson Institute, Nelson Public Library and Nelson Provincial Museum are the contemporary successors of The Literary and Scientific Institution of Nelson.
The museum has been managed since 1965 by a myriad of committees representing the financial interests of a number of councils within the region. During 2000, Tasman Bays Heritage Trust was formed by Tasman District and Nelson City Councils, in partnership with the Iwi Trust Authorities of Te Tau Ihu as a move away from the traditional council administration system into an independent Trust Board, supported by both Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council. The new body was constituted as Tasman Bays Heritage Trust.
In 2001 Tasman Bays Heritage Trust acquired a site on the corner of Hardy and Trafalgar Streets, Nelson, which formed part of the original Town Acre 445 block. In 2002 the Trust appointed Andrew Irving, of Ian Jack Architects (now Irving, Smith, Jack Architects) as project architect. In 2004 the tender for the project was awarded to Wilkes Construction, of Nelson, a fifth generation family construction firm. In 2005, after significant local and national support, the redeveloped museum was opened on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
The 1973 site in Isel Park continues to operate as a research facility for the museum.
Collection
Collections include:
Kingdon-Tomlinson family silver collection dating from 1594–1800 and consists of over 140 pieces. It was given to the people of Nelson and the surrounding region by Deed of Trust by Julie Annie Tomlinson in 1959.
Bett Collection (the nucleus of an extensive and growing historical library and archives). Dr Francis Arnot (or Arnott) Blackader Bett, commonly known as Dr. F. A. Bett, (1873–1957) passionately collected books, photographs, maps, documents, sketches and paintings relating to the Nelson province.
Marsden Collection. A rare and beautiful collection of eighteenth and nineteenth century antique furniture, plate, glassware and porcelain – including Sèvres, Dresden and Worcester. This has been consolidated from an original bequest together with separate holdings formerly held by the Cawthron Institute and the AnglicanDiocese of Nelson The Marsden Book Collection is also held at the museum dating from 1773 to the early 1920s and relates to natural history, discovery and exploration of the Pacific.
Tyree Studio Collection of more than 105,000 photographic negatives is one of the most comprehensive social history collections in New Zealand. William Tyree (1855–1924) and Frederick Tyree (1867–1924) were the sons of a master boot-maker from Surrey, England. In 1871, the Tyrees arrived in New Zealand. By 1878, William had established the Tyree Studio in Trafalgar Street, Nelson, and by 1884 his younger brother, Frederick, and Rosaline Frank were working as his assistants. Their Aunt's Victoriandecorative tiledfireplace is installed in Amber House nearby.
Until 1895, William Tyree methodically documented and recorded the social history of the region and from 1910, when he moved to Sydney, Rosaline Frank managed the Tyree Studio. Frederick Tyree established his own photographic business in Tākaka, Golden Bay, and continued his interest in photography until his death in 1924. The Tyree Studio continued to operate until 1947 under the ownership of Rosaline Frank.
The F.N. Jones (Frederick Nelson Jones) collection consists of over 10,000 negatives of important civic events from around the Nelson region. Frederick Nelson Jones was considered to be one of the first photojournalists of his time.
The Nelson Mail Photographic Collection of images from 1979 to 1994. More than 205,000 individual negatives and growing.
Other collections: Geoffrey C Wood Collection, Manson Collection, Prouse Collection, Nelson College Collection, Jenkins Collection, F G Gibbs Collection, Greenwood Collection, Knapp Collection, W E Brown Collection, Ellis Dudgeon Collection, Reg & Hugh Kingsford Collection, The Nelson Evening Mail Newspaper Collection, The Examiner, The Colonist.
Projects
The Glass Plate Negative Project was launched on 24 November 2010 to relocate over 150,000 glass plate negatives from mobile shelving into industry standard storage. Before being packed away into their new storage the negatives are digitally photographed for use in the Museum's online collection database. Funding for this project was secured from the New Zealand Lottery Grant Board, private benefactors and Tasman Bays Heritage Trust. Over 100,000 glass plate negatives have now been digitised and relocated through this project.
Nelson is a New Zealand city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island. It is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-oldest settled city in New Zealand; it was established in 1841 and became a city by royal charter in 1858.
The South Island, also named Te Waipounamu in Māori, is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island, constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitude, it has an oceanic climate.
The provinces of the Colony of New Zealand existed as a form of sub-national government. Initially established in 1846 when New Zealand was a Crown colony without responsible government, two provinces were first created. Each province had its own legislative council and governor. With the passing of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 the provinces were recreated around the six planned settlements or "colonies". By 1873 the number of provinces had increased to nine, but they had become less isolated from each other and demands for centralised government arose. In 1875 the New Zealand Parliament decided to abolish the provincial governments, and they came to an end in November 1876. They were superseded by counties, which were later replaced by territorial authorities.
Abel Tasman National Park is a national park at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. It covers 237.1 km2 (91.5 sq mi) of land between Golden Bay / Mohua and Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, making it the smallest of New Zealand's national parks. Despite this, the park is one of the most visited, partially due to the popularity of the Abel Tasman Coast Track which spans 60 km (37 mi) along the eastern and northern coastal areas of the park.
The National Provincial Championship, often simply called the NPC, is an annual round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played during the 2006 season, it is the second highest level of competition in New Zealand alongside the Ranfurly Shield. It is organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and since 2021, it has been known as the Bunnings NPC after its headline sponsor. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Farah Palmer Cup.
Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of 8,320 as of June 2023.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby, the governing body of rugby union for the world. It dropped the word "Football" from its name in 2006. The brand name New Zealand Rugby was adopted in 2013. Officially, it is an incorporated society with the name New Zealand Rugby Union Incorporated.
Stoke is a suburb of Nelson in New Zealand, located between Richmond and Tāhunanui. Stoke was named by William Songer, the personal servant of Arthur Wakefield, after his birthplace Stoke-by-Nayland in Suffolk.
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, a bay at the north end of the South Island in New Zealand. Headquartered in Nelson, TRU is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions.
Nelson Province was constituted in 1853 under the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, and originally covered the entire upper South Island, including all of present-day Buller, Kaikoura, Marlborough, and Tasman districts, along with Nelson City, Grey District north of the Grey River, and the Hurunui District north of the Hurunui River. It was reduced in size by the creation of Marlborough Province in November 1859, then abolished in 1876, along with all the provinces of New Zealand.
Eyles's harrier is an extinct bird of prey that was endemic to New Zealand.
Rear Admiral Roy Alexander George Clare, is a non-executive Director/Trustee in the 'third sector', including appointments as: inaugural Chair of the Chelmsford Cultural Development Trust; as a member of the Board of Trustees of Good Things Foundation, the UK's leading digital inclusion charity; and The Heritage Alliance, a significant advocacy body for England's heritage.
Cataldo (Aldo) Miccio is a New Zealand former local-body politician. He was the Mayor of Nelson for one term from 2010 to 2013.
Frederick Nelson Jones was a New Zealand saddler, photographer, amusement park owner and inventor. He was born in Nelson, New Zealand on 4 May 1881.
Rosaline Margaret Frank, known as Rose Frank, was a New Zealand photographer.
Ian Christopher Scott was a New Zealand painter. His work was significant for pursuing an international scope and vision within a local context previously dominated by regionalist and national concerns. Over the course of his career he consistently sought to push his work towards new possibilities for painting, in the process moving between abstraction and representation, and using controversial themes and approaches, while maintaining a highly personal and recognisable style. His work spans a wide range of concerns including the New Zealand landscape, popular imagery, appropriation and art historical references. Scott's paintings are distinctive for their intensity of colour and light. His approach to painting is aligned with the modernist tradition, responding to the formal standards set by the American painters Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland and Jules Olitski.
Tyree Studio was a photographic business in Nelson, New Zealand that operated from 1878 until 1942. It was founded by William Tyree in 1878 in Trafalgar Street, Nelson. William's younger brother Frederick worked for the studio infrequently before establishing himself in Tākaka in 1889.
Nelson Central is the central suburb and central business district of Nelson, New Zealand.
Tasman are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, New Zealand. Established in 2006, they play in the National Provincial Championship. They play their home games at Lansdowne Park in Blenheim or Trafalgar Park in Nelson, both in the Tasman region. The team is affiliated with the Crusaders Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are red and blue.
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