On 25 October 1916, two cultures came together at a special ceremony held in Whakatū/Nelson to honour and raise funds to support Māori and Pākehā WWI soldiers fighting together on the Western Front.

Hundreds of years ago hot drinking chocolate was a luxury and served thick, requiring stirring and in a special cup, like the one you see here.

Striding down the street in her boots, cloth cap and white apron, with a shovel in one hand and a cradle under the other, ‘Biddy of the Buller’ is one of those characters you would very much want to meet.

Almost 100 years ago today New Zealand marked yet another world first by offering free dental care to primary school students with the support of newly introduced female dental nurses.

This beautiful item in our collection is an abandoned nest of the common wasp, one of the most noxious of five species of social wasps which have been accidentally introduced to New Zealand since the 1940s.

The Queen’s visit to Nelson on 17 January, 1954, was a not-to-be-missed event. A little four year-old girl turned out for the big event dressed in this pale blue frock made by her mother.