When George Livingston-Baker asked some of his mates if they had any old bits and pieces lying around that could be used to help set up a museum in the small South Taranaki town of Pātea, the farmer and amateur historian couldn’t have imagined where that would lead.
That was the late 1960s, and today Aotea Utanganui – he Museum of South Taranaki, is a modern, purpose-built museum, that is not only a vital exhibitor and preserver of the region’s rich Māori, Pākehā, geological, art and social history, but a hub for community engagement and education.
And it is still growing. Having opened its striking redeveloped building on Pātea’s main street in 2011, the museum is gathering funding for a further two stages of the long-term project, which will give the hard-working curating team more space to exhibit and safely store the valuable collection.
“The museum’s purpose has always been to be a place for ‘stuff that has a story’,” says Aotea Utanganui’s team leader Luana Paamu, who was born and bred in Pātea.
“When Livingston-Baker first began to collect things for the original museum, which opened in 1974, it was mainly agricultural and family history. Over the years that has been built on and expanded, and today we’re trying to make it more relatable and inclusive.
“We’re working in our exhibitions to get more Māori stories and stories about women and children, and incorporate more modern history. We’re also looking to educate on topical issues – holding the likes of environmental, Treaty of Waitangi, and Taranaki Land Wars exhibitions.”
Engaging with the community is a key focus of the museum, with the aim to encourage more people to learn about their culture and history, and foster a lifelong connection with the land and the area.
As well as outreach with marae and schools, Aotea Utanganui holds children-specific events, and operates ‘pop-up’ museums in the region – “taking history to the people”.
It has also produced a book with community involvement. Tales and Taonga is full of stories about treasures of the area, with many of the contributions and photos coming from the community.
As well as temporary and touring exhibitions, Aotea Utanganui has on display New Zealand’s oldest dated wooden artefacts, the Waitore artefacts, which are the remains of possibly a waka repair yard from about 1400. The artefacts are one of the museum’s four “hero” collections, the others being the large Oriwa Haddon Murals depicting historical events and regional themes, the Ellmore-Timms Collection of 150,000 photographic studio negatives and prints, and bound copies of every edition of the Hāwera Star newspaper since 1880.
Perhaps most eye-catching, though, are the beautiful tukutuku panels, depicting traditional Māori patterns, and the whakairo (carvings), representing significant ancestors of the Aotea waka, which adorn the museum foyer.
All were the work of local women and carvers and, fittingly, have a Livingston-Baker connection.
“Some large totara trees were washed up on the beach here,” Luana says. “Livingston-Baker was told about them and suggested they be made into whakairo. That was in 1974 and here they are today.”