Waikato Museum ( mi, Te Whare Taonga o Waikato) is a regional museum located in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, New Zealand. The museum manages ArtsPost, a shop and gallery space for New Zealand art and design. Both are managed by the Hamilton City Council. Outside the museum is The Tongue of The Dog, a sculpture by

Michael Parekowhai Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

that has helped to increase visitor numbers. The sculpture was commissioned by MESH Sculpture Trust, Hamilton.

Building and History

The current Waikato Museum building is located at 1 Grantham Street in Hamilton’s central business district on the west bank of the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

. It was designed by

Ivan Mercep Ivan Mercep (22 February 1930 – 8 April 2014) was a New Zealand architect. Early life and family Born in Taumarunui in 1930 to a Croatian family, Mercep was educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland and Auckland University College, from wh ...

of the Auckland architectural firm JASMad Group Ltd (now named Jasmax) who later designed

Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

. Waikato Museum of Art and History opened in its current building in 1987. The event was the culmination of years of planning and debate surrounding the need for a combined regional museum and art gallery. The name of the institution has since been changed to Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga O Waikato, to better reflect and honour the local iwi (tribe) Tainui. The museum is situated on Ngaati Wairere land, a haapuu (sub-tribe) of Waikato, Tainui. Of major significance to the museum's history is the Kiingitanga (The King Movement). The museum is kaitiaki or caretakers of taonga tuku iho (rare and sacred objects). The interior and exterior of the museum building are inspired by and integrated with the environment. The design is oriented toward the steep riverbank on which the museum is situated. This approach is in keeping with Hamilton’s long-term urban strategy to enhance its river frontage. ArtsPost is located on Victoria Street next to the museum and occupies Hamilton’s former Post and Telegraph office. Designed by architect John Campbell, it was built 1901 for a cost of £2,400. Hamilton City Council purchased the building in 1992 to create a high profile facility for the promotion of the visual arts. In consultation with the Historic Places Trust, the building was restored and ArtsPost opened on 27 June 1998.

Museum directors

Ken Gorbey Kenneth Coulton Gorbey (born 1942) is a New Zealand museum director and consultant. He has designed and created exhibitions at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Jewish Museum Berlin. Early life Gorbey was born in 1942 and g ...

1971–1983

Exhibitions, Education and Public Programmes

Waikato Museum offers a range of exhibitions (curated in-house and touring), as well as a full complement of education and public programmes. Waikato Museum’s education, collections and research, and public programmes have four area of focus: art, social history, science, and tangata whenua. The overall aim of the institution is to reflect the passions, history, heritage and culture of the Waikato region. Highlights for visitors include the majestic 200-year-old waka taua (war canoe) Te Winika and accompanying interpretation; Exscite and Milk Matters, interactive science galleries for children; and Te Whaanau Marama, a celebration of Maaori astronomy. In April 2015, the museum opened a major exhibition to mark the centenary of the World War I. Funded by a grant from the Lotteries Commission, ''For Us They Fell'' tells the untold stories of the Waikato men who served in the Great War and the families they left behind. The museum offers a range of events including artist talks, workshops and a popular school holiday programme during each of the four mid-term holidays. Since 2010, the museum has hosted Bat Tours, supported by the Waikato Regional Council. Participants enjoy a presentation before being led on a tour to the bat-nesting site and can have encounters with longtailed bats, glow worms, shortfin eels and other native species. Since 2006 Waikato Museum have hosted the National Contemporary Art Award (NCAA) that was started by the Waikato Society of Arts in 2000 (formally the award was called the Trust Waikato National Contemporary Art Awards). NCAA attracts entries from New Zealand artists both based in New Zealand and overseas. Past winners include Ayesha Green (2019), Boris Dornbusch (2007), Dieneke Jansen (2013) and Kim Pieters (2017).

Landing

In 2021 a $1.03m floating pontoon on the Waikato River was opened, just below the museum. Its structure includes 5 decorated pou, representing stories from Ngāti Māhanga, Ngāti Tamainupō,

Ngāti Wairere Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori '' iwi'' based in Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zealand ...

Ngāti Korokī Kahukura Ngāti Korokī Kahukura is a Māori people, Māori iwi of the Maungatautari area of the Waikato in New Zealand. It was formed by the coming together of two related hapū, Ngāti Korokī and Ngāti Kahukura. It has historic affiliations with Ngāti ...

and

Ngāti Hauā Ngāti Hauā is a Māori people, Māori iwi of the eastern Waikato of New Zealand. It is part of the Tainui confederation. Its traditional area includes Matamata, Cambridge, New Zealand, Cambridge, Maungakawa, the Horotiu district along the Wai ...

. On 19 July 2021 a ferry began, linking the landing with Swarbrick's Landing, Braithwaite Park and

Hamilton Gardens Hamilton Gardens is a public garden park in the south of Hamilton owned and managed by Hamilton City Council in New Zealand. The 54-hectare park is based on the banks of the Waikato River and includes enclosed gardens, open lawns, a lake, a nur ...

References

External links

*
ArtsPost website
{{Authority control Museums established in 1987 Buildings and structures in Hamilton, New Zealand Culture in Hamilton, New Zealand Tourist attractions in Hamilton, New Zealand Art museums and galleries in New Zealand History museums in New Zealand Science museums in New Zealand Art galleries in New Zealand Museums in Waikato 1987 establishments in New Zealand 1980s architecture in New Zealand