Central Hawke's Bay Museum

05/10/2026

Please join us for the opening of our new exhibition Hidden in History: Trailblazing Women of Central Hawke’s Bay on Sunday 25 October at 2pm.

We are very fortunate to be able to display this unique exhibition thanks to the courtesy of Hawke’s Bay Museum.

This is a smaller version of very successful exhibition curated by Professor Emeritus Kay Morris Matthews displayed at Hawke’s Bay Museum in Napier last year.

Hidden in History: Trailblazing Women of Central Hawke’s Bay highlights the stories of 8 women from Central Hawke's Bay who made significant contributions to their communities but have been largely unacknowledged in traditional historical narratives.

Hidden in History exhibition documents the lives and achievements of the women from the 1830s to 2000, across the domains of social reforms, business, enterprise, community, family, arts, sports, health, education, welfare and heritage. These women felt compelled to act and to overcome social and legislative restrictions that impacted themselves and other women at the time. They forged new pathways for the women who followed them. These women were trailblazers.

Professor Emeritus Kay Morris Matthews’s book Hidden in History: Trailblazing Women of Hawke’s Bay will be available for purchase during the exhibition.

22/09/2026

Celebrate with us the International Day of Older People this year.
Join us for the events:

Wed 30 Sep 10.30am
Guided Tour around the museum – learn about the history of CHB and listen some fascinating stories of our ancestors presented by museum volunteer Gail

Thu 1 Oct 10.30am
Memory Suitcase session – Museum volunteer Hazel has a suitcase packed with treasures from the past, come and join us for a session filled with memorable stories and objects

Fri 2 Oct 10.30am
Guided Tour around the museum - learn about the history of CHB and listen some fascinating stories of our ancestors presented by museum volunteer Gail

21/09/2026

Thank you everyone for coming to the opening of Otane Arty Facts exhibition. Come and check the artworks of local artists which are for sale, exhibition runs until 11 October.

17/09/2026

Throwback Thursday
Wanstead Church
The original Church at Wanstead was constructed in 1888. There was some damage to the attached supper room in the 1931 Hawke’s Bay Earthquake and the lean-to structure was removed. The remainder of the original wooden building was demolished in 1955.
The current stone building was constructed in 1956 by William Ennor, stonemason. The stone was sourced from the Napier Prison quarry, now Centennial Gardens.
The building was dedicated as a memorial to Martha and Samuel McNutt on the 23rd February 1957.

27/08/2026

Throwback Thursday

Imperial/Railway Hotel, Waipawa
The first hotel on a site near Waipawa’s railway station was built about 1873, but destroyed by fire in 1890’s.
It was rebuilt around 1900 as a large two-storeyed building with balcony, cottages and stabling. Downstairs was a large dining room, sitting rooms, and billiard saloon. Upstairs had 20 bedrooms and one bathroom with hot and cold water.
The hotel was badly damaged in the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake and underwent a complete renovation. However, it also burnt to the ground, in 1965.

07/08/2026

CHB Museum Invites you to
AGM
3rd September 2026 at 7pm
At Te Huinga Wai – The Knowledge and Learning Hub
4 Bogle Brothers Esplanade, Waipukurau

Guest Speaker:
Chairman of the Aramoana Environmental and Educational Charitable Trust
Peter Kay
Proposed Waharoa Aramoana Reserve

RVSP [email protected]
06 8577288

30/07/2026

Throwback Thursday.

Tavistock Hotel
The Tavistock Hotel was built in 1856-7 by Henry Russell at Pioneer Corner and quickly became a community hub.
It began as the Tavistock Accommodation House and evolved over the following years. It was also used as a courthouse, a venue for church services and for numerous community meetings.
The building was extended many times. In 1876, for the opening of the first railway bridge, the Tavistock catered for 900 guests many of whom had travelled from Napier and Hastings for the occasion.
Part of the hotel was moved to the corner of Ruataniwha St and Racecourse Rd in 1916.
There have been many proprietors, managers and licensees.

23/07/2026

All sorts of different people find our displays interesting. Recently we had two natural healers who were looking at old health remedies

08/07/2026

CHB Museum installing new storage facilities

Central Hawke’s Bay Museum’s collection will have upgraded, safer storage installed, thanks to a grant from Lottery Environment and Heritage Te Tahua Taiao Ngā Taonga and Waipukurau Rotary.
A feasibility study had recommended a collection store be installed in the museum’s exhibition hall, and a set of used mobile racking of the type recommended became available from the Hawke’s Bay Museum.
The racking was purchased with the support of a Central Hawke’s Bay District Council Community Partnership Activation fund grant, and the second phase of the project is now underway – alteration of the exhibition hall and installation of the shelving.

The museum’s key functions are to preserve its collections for future generations and to make them available for research, display and interpretation, says Central Hawke’s Bay Museum Curator Jana Uhlirova.
“Currently the museum has 95% of its collection on display, and
the existing storage area in the attic is so full, the museum is having to turn down donations as there is nowhere to store them.
“This new storage is vital to retain good relationships with past and future donors and show it is able to care for their historic objects as a museum should.”
Jana says with the potential for increased weather events, the community needs a fit- for-purpose storage facility to provide care and protection for Central Hawke's Bay Taonga Maori and other historical items.
“This new collection store will be able to provide a temporary space for taonga to be housed if the place they are stored is damaged by flooding or fire. This was the case in Hawke's Bay, when the Hawke’s Bay Museum provided a temporary storage and cleaning facility for panels damaged in flooded marae after Cyclone Gabrielle.”
The new collection store will ensure that the cultural heritage of Central Hawke’s Bay will be better preserved and cared for, in a temperature-controlled space with pest control procedures, and a ban on food and drink. It will be secure and monitored on camera.
“Museums help people in the community to feel a sense of connectedness with the past and each other. It is vital that museums are able to look after their collections appropriately,” Jana says.
The Central Hawke’s Bay Museum has very strong community support. This is demonstrated through generous in-kind contributions, including a local business providing free storage for two containers, an engineer completing the required report for mobile shelving at no cost, and another business offering to move the shelving units free of charge.
The team of museum volunteers will be involved in moving the objects to the new collection store and packing them appropriately. Training on how to handle and pack museum objects will be completed to ensure the collection is stored properly to be preserved for the future.
The Central Hawke’s Bay Museum is open seven days a week, from 10am-4pm and entry is free.

08/07/2026

Come and have some fun looking for Matariki Stars at the museum. New activity for this school holidays.

Have you completed the Matariki Star Hunt at the Central Hawke's Bay Museum? ⭐️

Pick up your Star Hunt page from the library or the museum, then head into the museum to complete the challenge.

Once you’ve finished, bring your completed booklet back to the library to claim your prize. We still have plenty of galaxy balls waiting to be won! 🙌✨

Find out more: www.chblibrary.nz