Te Unua Museum of Southland

Te Unua Museum of Southland We’re building a brand-new museum for Murihiku - Te Unua Museum of Southland. Follow along as we bring Te Unua to life.

Southland’s stories are continuing to find their way into classrooms across our region 📚 Te Unua senior educator Suzann...
07/09/2026

Southland’s stories are continuing to find their way into classrooms across our region 📚

Te Unua senior educator Suzanne Spencer has been out and about again through our education outreach programme, recently visiting tamariki at St John’s Girls School and Ōtātara School.

At St John’s, the junior syndicate got up close with insects from Te Unua’s education handling collection – a visit teacher Anya Raines described as a “great ignitor” for further learning.

“The girls raved about it, they loved being able to see all of the insects,” she said.

At Ōtātara School, the focus shifted to mahika kai and kaitiakitaka, building on learning already happening in the classroom. Tamariki were able to see and interact with artefacts and taoka, before putting their learning into practice through a game exploring kaitiakitaka.

Teacher Pam Chilton said the experience connected with both the school’s values and inquiry learning.

While we work towards opening Te Unua, our education outreach programme is helping ensure Southland’s collections and stories continue to inspire learning throughout our community.

Can you guess this iconic Southland building? 👀 📸: Fleming and Co. Cereal Mill (Creamota), Gore, 1918. Collection of Te ...
03/09/2026

Can you guess this iconic Southland building? 👀

📸: Fleming and Co. Cereal Mill (Creamota), Gore, 1918. Collection of Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Southern Regional Collections Trust. Gift of Fleming and Co. Ltd., 1985. 85.221

How do you safely display treasured objects of every shape, size and material? 🤔 Behind the scenes at Te Unua, the pains...
26/08/2026

How do you safely display treasured objects of every shape, size and material? 🤔

Behind the scenes at Te Unua, the painstaking process of designing around 300 bespoke mounts for our exhibitions is under way.

Each plinth, bracket, cradle and stand will be made specifically for the artefact or taoka it supports - protecting it from damage while helping tell its story.

The challenges vary enormously. The approximately 100kg figurehead from the England’s Glory, shipwrecked off Bluff in 1881, will require a mounting solution closer to engineering than conventional display work.

A much lighter touch will be needed for a set of bagpipes once owned by Scottish-born high-country pioneer Donald Angus Cameron, who founded and leased the historic Nokomai Station in northern Southland. Its mount must support the instrument without allowing it to droop while on display.

Specialist exhibition firm Object Support is working with the Te Unua team to develop 150 mounts, with construction beginning in October. Meanwhile, our experience team and local subcontractors will create mounts for artefacts displayed in the museum’s temporary galleries.

Designed to blend quietly into each display, the mounts will play an essential role in protecting Murihiku Southland’s treasures and bringing their stories to life when we open.

📸 Bagpipes, originally owned by D. A. Cameron, the first owner of Nokomai Station (1859). Gift of Rose MacPherson. Collection of Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Southern Regional Collections Trust. 2011.92a

Not known for their speed, our local tuatara has been seen making surprisingly quick moves… 🏎If you’ve visited lately, y...
20/08/2026

Not known for their speed, our local tuatara has been seen making surprisingly quick moves… 🏎

If you’ve visited lately, you may have noticed a couple of familiar faces have moved – including one very recognisable local character.

Our tuatara statue has temporarily left its usual spot while the Invercargill City Council’s Parks team finalises plans for the wider Queens Park landscaping changes, following the October 2025 storm.

But don’t worry – the statue hasn’t gone far! The tuatara is being safely housed off-site while it waits for a new home.

There’s plenty happening behind-the-scenes as we work towards creating a refreshed and welcoming landscape, seamlessly integrating our new regional museum with the crown jewel of our city’s green spaces.

You may notice some changes to the perimeter fencing outside Te Unua Museum of Southland over the coming months.Fencing ...
19/08/2026

You may notice some changes to the perimeter fencing outside Te Unua Museum of Southland over the coming months.

Fencing has now been extended around the site, from Gala St in the south to the future outdoor play area on the northern side of the museum. It also extends around the new car park to the west and through to the eastern boundary near the former bowling club.

The location of the fencing will change over the coming months as landscaping work progresses. You’re welcome to have a look through the fencing, but please remember Te Unua is still a construction site and the fencing is there for everyone’s safety.

Work is on track, and we can't wait to open doors!

On 26 March 1900, an early-morning locomotive journey to Invercargill took a dangerous turn. The passenger train, carryi...
16/08/2026

On 26 March 1900, an early-morning locomotive journey to Invercargill took a dangerous turn.

The passenger train, carrying people back to Invercargill after they had farewelled soldiers near Dunedin, was nearing the end of its journey when it suddenly left the rails.

This was no ordinary mechanical failure. The points - the section of track used to guide an engine from one line to another - appeared to have been deliberately interfered with according to railway officials.

Someone, it seemed, had intended to send the locomotive off course. The derailment could easily have had far more serious consequences, but fortunately the crew escaped without significant injury.

Authorities took the incident seriously. An initial reward of £100 was offered for information leading to the discovery of those responsible - the equivalent of roughly $25,000 today according to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. When no answers emerged, the reward was increased to £500, or approximately $125,000 today.

But did anyone come forward?

Who tampered with the points? Why target this particular locomotive? And did the person responsible stay nearby to see what happened? 👀

At the turn of the twentieth century, Invercargill’s railway was a vital link between communities across Murihiku Southland, carrying passengers, goods and news. Disrupting the line had the potential to place lives at risk and interrupt one of our region’s most important transport connections.

More than 125 years later, no culprit or motive has been established. What remains is a remarkable fragment of local history: an apparent act of railway sabotage, a substantial reward - and a mystery still waiting beside the tracks.

📸: Rail accident near Flemings Flour Mill, 26 March 1900. Collection of Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Southern Regional Collections Trust, P81.278

Cats have been leaving their paw prints on Southland's history for generations 🐈 From beloved family pets captured in ph...
07/08/2026

Cats have been leaving their paw prints on Southland's history for generations 🐈

From beloved family pets captured in photographs and artworks, objects and stories from scientific expeditions, cats appear throughout our collection in more ways than you might expect.

Each item offers a glimpse into the lives of the people who lived here, the places they explored, and the beloved animals that became part of those stories.

This International Cat Day, we're sharing a few feline favourites from our collection 🐾

Southland stories deserve a Southland voice 👏🏻That's why we're working alongside local filmmakers, creatives, mana whenu...
07/08/2026

Southland stories deserve a Southland voice 👏🏻

That's why we're working alongside local filmmakers, creatives, mana whenua and community partners to help shape the stories visitors will discover at Te Unua Museum of Southland.

Together with Gibson International and Invercargill production company Second Beer, audio-visual content will soon be created for our long-term exhibition, capturing the people, places and moments that make Murihiku Southland unlike anywhere else.

The collaboration creates opportunities for the next generation of storytellers, with Southern Institute of Technology Screen Arts students gaining hands-on experience as part of the production.

When Te Unua opens, the stories shared throughout the museum will have been shaped by the people who know Southland best.

Today we acknowledge the passing of Nicholas Graham "Tiny" Metzger (Kāi Tahu: Kāi Te Ruahikihiki, Kāti Rakiāmoa), a resp...
02/08/2026

Today we acknowledge the passing of Nicholas Graham "Tiny" Metzger (Kāi Tahu: Kāi Te Ruahikihiki, Kāti Rakiāmoa), a respected Bluff kaumātua, muttonbirder, master of mahi pōhā, and generous keeper of mātauraka.

Tiny dedicated his life to preserving and passing on the traditions of pōhā-tītī, ensuring this important cultural practice would continue for future generations. His knowledge, generosity and commitment have left an enduring legacy.

The museum team is honoured to care for pōhā donated by the Metzger whānau, and we are privileged to share his story as part of our new museum, helping preserve and celebrate this taoka for generations to come.

We extend our heartfelt aroha to Tiny's whānau, Te Rau Aroha Marae, and all those mourning his passing.

We're proud to welcome one of the leading experts in taoka Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand to our growing team.Dougal Aust...
30/07/2026

We're proud to welcome one of the leading experts in taoka Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand to our growing team.

Dougal Austin (Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha) joins us as Senior Curator – Māori, returning home to Murihiku Southland after more than 32 years at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

With more than three decades of experience at Te Papa, Dougal is recognised for his expertise in taoka Māori, mātauraka Māori, and his research on hei tiki. His experience includes curating major exhibitions, publishing research, and working closely with iwi and communities to ensure taoka are understood within their cultural context.

His appointment is one of several exciting additions to our growing museum and heritage services team. Alongside Team Leader – Collections Tiffany Jenks, Kaitiaki Mana Taoka Tyra Ryan, and Collections Technicians Jessica Roylands and Yiying Yang, we're building the expertise needed to care for our collections, protect our taoka, and share the stories of Murihiku with future generations.

Welcome home, Dougal. We're proud to have you back in Murihiku and can't wait to see the impact your knowledge and passion will have on Te Unua.

📸: Te Unua Museum of Southland staff, from left, Tyra Ryan (Kaitiaki Mana Taoka), Ayden Dove (Registrar), Dougal Austin (Senior Curator – Māori), and Tiffany Jenks (Team Leader – Collections), view a patu pounamu once owned by Kāi Tahu rangatira Tūhawaiki at Te Pātaka Taoka Southern Regional Collections Facility. The patu was placed in the care of the former Southland Museum and Art Gallery by Naina Kihau Russell in 2001.

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