Nelson Provincial Museum facts for kids

Nelson Provincial Museum entrance

The Nelson Provincial Museum, also known as Pupuri Taonga O Te Tai Ao, is a special museum in Nelson, New Zealand. It tells the amazing story of the Nelson and Tasman regions. You can learn about everything from how the land was formed to the lives of people and families who lived there.

The museum has over 1.4 million interesting items. These have been collected over the past 160 years! The main exhibits are in a modern building that opened in 2005. This building cost NZ$5 million and was paid for by the community and local councils. The museum's collections, staff, and research services are kept in an older building in Isel Park, Stoke.

Discovering the Museum's History

How the Museum Began

The idea for the Nelson Provincial Museum started way back in May 1841. This was even before the first settlers arrived in Nelson! Officers on the ships Whitby and Will-Watch decided to create a "Literary and Scientific Institution of Nelson."

They collected money to buy useful books for a library. They also wanted to gather maps, drawings, paintings, and objects from nature. These items would form the very first museum collection.

Early Homes of the Museum

In late 1842, the Institution opened on Trafalgar Street in Nelson. It started as a library with a small museum storage area. By 1844, it had 60 members.

By 1861, the museum needed more space. It moved to a wooden building on Hardy Street. Sadly, a fire broke out in 1906. Most of the collection was saved, but the building was destroyed. A new brick building was opened in 1912. Until 1963, the museum was on the second floor, with the Nelson Library below it.

Growing and Moving Again

The museum became more independent in the 1960s. It moved first to Isel House, a historic home. Then, in 1973, a new concrete building designed by Alex Bowman opened.

In 1983, a special gallery about Māori history was added. More improvements were made in the following years. Today, the Nelson Institute, Nelson Public Library, and Nelson Provincial Museum are all connected to that first Institution.

A New Way to Manage the Museum

Since 1965, many groups helped manage the museum. In 2000, the Tasman Bays Heritage Trust was created. This new group was formed by the Tasman District and Nelson City Councils. It also partnered with local Māori iwi (tribes). This made the museum an independent trust, supported by both councils.

In 2001, the Trust bought land on Hardy and Trafalgar Streets. This was part of the original Town Acre 445 block. A new project began to build a modern museum. Wilkes Construction, a local family company, won the building contract in 2004. The redeveloped museum opened in 2005. This was on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The old 1973 building in Isel Park is still used for museum research.

Amazing Collections at the Museum

The Nelson Provincial Museum holds many special collections. Here are some of them:

• Kingdon-Tomlinson Family Silver: This collection has over 140 pieces of silver. Some items date back to 1594! It was given to the people of Nelson in 1959.
• Bett Collection: Dr. F. A. Bett (1873–1957) loved collecting. He gathered many books, photos, maps, and paintings about the Nelson area. This collection is now a key part of the museum's historical library.
• Marsden Collection: This beautiful collection includes old furniture, glassware, and fine porcelain. It also has a book collection from 1773 to the 1920s. These books are about nature, discovery, and exploring the Pacific.
• Tyree Studio Collection: This is one of New Zealand's largest collections of old photos. It has more than 105,000 photographic negatives! William Tyree (1855–1924) and Frederick Tyree (1867–1924) were brothers who started the Tyree Studio in Nelson in 1878. They took many pictures of people and events in the region. Rosaline Frank managed the studio after William moved away. This collection was added to the UNESCO Memory of the World register in 2017.
• F.N. Jones Collection: Frederick Nelson Jones took over 10,000 photos of important events around Nelson. He was one of the first photojournalists of his time.
• Nelson Mail Photographic Collection: This collection has over 205,000 newspaper photos from 1979 to 1994.
• Other Collections: The museum also has collections from Geoffrey C Wood, Manson, Prouse, Nelson College, Jenkins, F G Gibbs, Greenwood, Knapp, W E Brown, Ellis Dudgeon, Reg & Hugh Kingsford, The Nelson Evening Mail Newspaper, The Examiner, and The Colonist.

Special Projects at the Museum

The Glass Plate Negative Project

This project started in 2010. Its goal is to move over 150,000 old glass plate negatives into safe storage. Before they are stored, each negative is digitally photographed. This means people can see them online in the museum's collection database. Funding for this important project came from the New Zealand Lottery Grant Board and other supporters. Over 100,000 negatives have already been digitized and moved.

Museum Leaders

Here are some of the people who have led the Nelson Provincial Museum:

Curators

• Lt. Col. Cyprian Bridge Brereton (until 1960)

Directors

• Jim Eyles (James Roy Eyles)
• Steve Bagley
• Dr John Rudge

Museum Managers

• M Hubert Klaassens (1998–2001)
• Lesley Baxter (Acting, 2001)

Chief Executives

• Wayne P Marriott (2001–2007)
• Cathy Knight (Acting, 2007)
• Robert (Bob) Dickinson (2007–2008)
• Peter Millward (2008–2015)
• Lucinda Blackley-Jimson (2015–present)