Puke Ariki facts for kids
North building of Puke Ariki
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| Former name | Taranaki Museum, New Plymouth Public Library |
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| Established | 1848 (library), 1919 (museum) |
| Location | New Plymouth |
| Type | Museum, Public library |
Puke Ariki is a special place in New Plymouth, New Zealand. It's a museum and a library all in one! It opened in June 2003. Before Puke Ariki, there was the New Plymouth Public Library (started in 1848) and the Taranaki Museum (started in 1919). Puke Ariki means "hill of chiefs" in the Māori language. This name comes from an old Māori village that used to be on this very spot.
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The Historic Puke Ariki Site
Puke Ariki means "hill of chiefs" in Māori. This spot was once a very important Māori pā (a fortified village). It belonged to the Te Āti Awa people and was built around 1700. The pā had a special meeting place called Para-huka. It was also the home of a very important chief, Te Rangi-apiti-rua.
Around 1830, most of the Te Āti Awa people moved away. They went to the Wellington region and Kāpiti Coast. Later, when settlers from other countries arrived, they called the hill Mount Eliot. Government buildings were built there. It was also used as a signal station for ships.
In the 1850s and 1860s, British soldiers used the hill as a military camp. It was a barracks for the Naval Brigade during the First Taranaki War. Over time, much of the hill was removed. This happened to make space for railway yards. By 1905, most of the original hill was gone.
How Puke Ariki Began
Puke Ariki is a combination of two older institutions: a library and a museum. Let's look at how they started.
The First Library in New Plymouth
The New Plymouth Public Library started in 1848. It was first known as a Mechanics Institute and Library. It began in a school building. Then, in 1852, it moved to an auction room. In 1856, it was renamed the Literary Institute.
Sadly, the library didn't have enough money to build its own home. In 1859, a fire destroyed many of its books. In 1865, the library moved into the new Town Hall building. Even though it didn't pay rent, it still got into debt. The library officially closed in 1878, but a reading room stayed open.
A Free Public Library for Everyone
From 1880, people had to pay a fee to use the reading room. But in 1884, the council decided it would be a "free public library." However, funding was still very low. The librarians weren't trained, and the book collection was a mess.
Things changed when a new library was built. It was called the Carnegie Free Library. This was possible thanks to a £2,500 grant from a kind person named Andrew Carnegie. The new library opened in July 1908. Miss Free became the first full-time librarian that year. She worked there for 22 years.
The Taranaki Museum's Early Days
The first museum displays in New Plymouth were in the Town Hall in 1865. For many years, the museum, library, and reading room were seen as one group.
In 1895, William Skinner asked the council for a special room for the museum. He asked again in 1900. In 1913, William Skinner and his son, H. D. Skinner, offered their collection to the town. This collection included Māori artifacts and historical papers. They wanted them displayed in a safe, fireproof building. This building would be a "purely Taranaki museum."
Finally, an extra building was added behind the Carnegie Library. It cost £3,000. The old Town Hall exhibits moved there in 1918. The Skinner collection arrived in 1919. The Taranaki Museum officially opened on August 28, 1919.
In 1922, the library organized its books using the Dewey Decimal Classification system. In 1927, there was a discussion about two important Māori treasures. These were the anchor stone and the adze (a tool) used to build the Tokomaru canoe. The museum and local iwi (tribes) met and decided how to care for and display them.
By the 1930s, both the museum and library were too crowded. They needed a new, bigger space. It took many years, but approval was finally given for a new building. This building would combine the library, museum, and a war memorial. It opened on July 14, 1960. The top floor was the War Memorial Hall. The next floor was the Taranaki Museum. The library was on the lower floors.
The Modern Puke Ariki Building
By the 1980s, both the library and museum were running out of space. They needed more room for their collections and displays. Planning for a much larger building, to be called Puke Ariki, started in 1993. The idea was to bring the Taranaki Museum and the public library together.
The New Plymouth District Council gave NZ$12.3 million for the project. Another $11 million was raised from other sources. Local architects, Boon Goldsmith Bhaskar, designed the building. Clelands Construction built it. Their job was to update the old 1960 War Memorial building. They also had to build a new museum space, which was 5000 square meters.
The architects designed the new building to be as tall as the original Puke Ariki hill. This hill was removed long ago for land development. The Māori Taonga (treasures) level was placed at the original height of 4.5 meters above the ground. The outside of the new building has a 60-meter woven wall. Puke Ariki was opened by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, on June 15, 2003.
Eight Taranaki iwi worked together on the Puke Ariki project. In 1996–97, a Komiti Māori (Māori Committee) was formed. This committee represented the iwi and gave their ideas for the project.
The 1960 War Memorial building now holds the library, archives, and research center. A bridge on the second floor connects it to the new building. The new building has the museum, an iSite information center, a cafe, and a restaurant. In front of Puke Ariki, there is a carved pole from 2001. It's called Tukotahi/Standing Together. It shows the first meeting of Māori and Pākehā (European settlers) in Taranaki. Puke Ariki was the biggest cultural project ever in the Taranaki region. It won a special award, the Creative Places Award, in 2003.
Amazing Collections at Puke Ariki
Puke Ariki has many interesting collections. These include archives, items about social history, taonga Māori (Māori treasures), and a large collection of pictures.
Māori Treasures (Taonga Māori)
The museum's first collections were given by William Skinner. These included well-documented Māori taonga. One rare item is a dogskin cloak (huruhuru kurī). Skinner was a surveyor in Taranaki. He knew many local iwi.
A very important part of the taonga Māori collection are the Motonui epa or panels. These panels formed the back wall of a pataka (a storehouse). They were likely made by Te Āti Awa artists between 1750 and 1820. The panels were buried in a swamp near Motonui to keep them safe during tribal wars.
They were found again in 1972. They were then sold to a collector named George Ortiz for US$65,000. Ortiz took them out of New Zealand, which was against the law. In 1978, he tried to sell them. After many years of talks, and Ortiz's death in 2013, the New Zealand government paid $4.5 million to bring them back. In March 2014, they were placed in Puke Ariki. This was part of an agreement between the government, Te Āti Awa, and Ngāti Rahiri. The panels went on display in the Takapou Whariki o Taranaki gallery in October 2015.
Photographic Collection
A large part of the photographic collection comes from the Swainson/Woods studios. It has over 111,000 negatives of everyday photos. These photos are from the 1920s to the 1990s. This collection was given to Puke Ariki in 2005 and was made digital by 2016.
Popular Exhibitions
Puke Ariki often has special exhibitions for visitors.
Bugs! Our Backyard Heroes
Puke Ariki's most popular exhibition was Bugs! Our Backyard Heroes. It ran from November 2016 to May 2017. This exhibition showed pinned insect specimens. It also featured live cockroaches, stick insects, centipedes, and spiders! Bugs! attracted over 65,000 visitors. It even broke the daily visitor record on January 3, 2017, with 1788 people attending.
Hina: Celebrating Taranaki Women
Hina: Celebrating Taranaki Women told the stories of 11 different women from Taranaki. This exhibition opened on the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in New Zealand. This is when women in New Zealand gained the right to vote. The exhibition closed in March 2019.
Images for kids
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North building of Puke Ariki
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The original 1960 War Memorial building now houses the library and archives of Puke Ariki
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Tukotahi/Standing Together
See also
In Spanish: Puke Ariki para niños
