South Canterbury Museum

15/09/2026

This rather lovely and picturesque image belies the long hours and days nurses of around 1900 undertook.

We've been doing some research though, and being a nurse was more of a vocation or lifestyle than a job.

In 1903 staff nurses earnt 40 pounds a year, probationary nurses 15 pound in their first year, going up by 5 pounds in their second and third year. For that 'lofty' sum nurses were, aside from annual leave, generously given one WHOLE day off a month (just imagine that). Probationary nurses were also entitled to time off - but in their case only one afternoon and one evening per month!

13/09/2026

This week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) where we celebrate the use of Māori language. The theme of this year is Te Reo Towns so here is our very own Philip Howe featuring on the Radio New Zealand podcast Nau Mai Town.

Timaru is a small town in South Canterbury which has two lesser-known names - Te Maru and Te Tihi o Maru. Justine Murray finds out more.

12/09/2026

On Wednesday last week we were joined by several people to look at digital experiences within the South Canterbury Heritage Gallery planned for our new museum Te Kura Marumaru South Canterbury Museum, opening next year. Emily, Cristina, Sue and Jamie from Click Suite in Wellington joined Casey and Paul from Team Projects Ltd, Mark from Clarity Audiovisual, Karl from our iwi advisory group, and Museum team members Tony, Chris and Philip to look at what we want to see in the displays and how we can make it happen. We also had the chance to get a look inside the building site - exciting to visualise how these spaces will work.

11/09/2026

Did you know Timaru once hosted a US warship? In October 1980 the United States Navy destroyer USS Oldendorf visited Timaru. The destroyer was in the region as part of her first deployment taking part in an anti-submarine exercise. The exercise reflected the cooperation fostered by the ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Later in the 1980s New Zealand’s nuclear free policy strained ANZUS and relations with the United States, and saw New Zealand effectively frozen out of the treaty. The USS Oldendorf was open to the Timaru public for two days while she was in port, giving locals a rare chance to step aboard an operational American warship. Can anyone out there remember going aboard the ship?

11/09/2026

Today the team had a very nice morning tea thanks to The Breeze South Canterbury! What a nice end to a busy week. We hope everyone out there has a wonderful weekend.

This morning the team at South Canterbury Museum won our coffee shout all thanks to Fire & Safety Training Ltd

Let us know in the comments who you think deserves next week’s coffee shout 👇

10/09/2026

Educator Andrea visited the Whare Ako at Mountainview High School this week with a range of hands-on museum items for the students to learn about the past. These students enjoyed dressing up and even recreating a portrait by William Ferrier a local photographer.

Don't forget that even though the Museum will be closed for Term 4, classes can still book in for our programmes - we will come to you!!

09/09/2026

Exciting news! The Community Trust of Mid & South Canterbury have just donated $80,000 towards the exhibition fitout for Te Kura Marumaru South Canterbury Museum! This generous grant now brings our total to $1.5 million of a $2m target - we're 75% of the way there😃😃😃😃😃😃😃.

And don't forget, you can easily support this project by visiting www.scmdt.org.nz where you can read more about what is planned and make an online donation directly from your bank account. Every little bit helps, and you'll receive a charitable donation receipt which may be used for tax purposes.

Here's Museum Director Philip Howe with Ahu Community Trust chair Di Hay and SC Museum Development Trust chair John Simpson this morning outside the new museum site.

08/09/2026

Today's picture: Timaru's justice precinct in the late 19th century.

From left is the Timaru Mechanics' Institute (a library forerunner), the Courthouse (peeking out from behind the Institute), and the bluestone Police Barracks (station) built in 1876.

The original bluestone building might be the envy of police today, if a rather tongue-in-cheek reporter for the Timaru Herald can be believed. He wrote about the proposed plans on 11 December 1874:

“There are to be battlements on the top, through which the Timaru Volunteer Artillery can spread death and destruction amid the invading foe … two bath-rooms inside where the guardians of the peace can bath their manly forms. There is also to be a room specially devoted for the hanging up of hats, and dormitories of magnificent proportions …”

He wasn't overly enthralled with the proposed building, but obviously had a grandiose vision for the town: "... Timaru wants a tower here and there to break the dull monotony of the small houses and gum trees, and to disturb the [Parr's] windmill's solitary reign."

In any case the police station was used until 1955, when Police vacated the building and moved temporarily into the (then very old) Mechanics Institute while their new building was being constructed. The moved into the building in 1959 and continue to use it today.

04/09/2026

This is an historic mounted specimen of a weweia, or New Zealand dabchick, from the Museum’s collection. It is a small aquatic bird that once occurred in Canterbury but seemed to have disappeared by the 20th century. Weweia still occur widely across the North Island and have re-established themselves at the top of the South Island. Their preferred habitat are shallow lakes and pond areas, along with coastal lagoons. Here they feed on aquatic invertebrates, small fish and freshwater crayfish. Food is caught either on the surface or caught by diving underwater for up to 30 seconds.

Weweia are members of the grebe family and are endemic to New Zealand, unlike their now better-known relative, the pūteketeke or Australasian crested grebe, also found in Australia. It is thought there are currently around 2,000 weweia across their range. The population has been affected by land use changes and introduced predators, although now seems to be increasing. We can hope that this small grebe will once again occur in Canterbury as efforts to create predator-free habitat continue.

There is no data on where this 19th century specimen was collected. It will be among endemic and native birds both past and present from our region featured in exhibitions planned for Te Kura Marumaru South Canterbury Museum, opening next year on Barnard Street.

03/09/2026

Our educators have been out and about this week. Both Keely and Andrea headed out to Cannington and Fairlie Primary Schools, taking a changes in technology and insect programme with them. It was lovely to be able to visit these schools and bring some of our hands on objects into the classrooms.

Garden Grove Montessori tamariki celebrated the 156th "trip around the sun" of Maria Montessori with a visit by Andrea , in costume, and some hands on objects from times past.