More district mischief

It's that time once again! At the Ashburton Museum we often come across some strange things from day to day, including odd and interesting stories from the archives.

The Friedlander Family Album

As the one responsible for the archives at Ashburton museum, it is my job to assess, catalogue, and preserve documentary material that holds historical significance to our town and district. I spend some days answering requests from the community regarding family history, while the rest of my time comprises of caring for the collection, working...

The roaring twenties

While for many the roaring twenties evoke thoughts about the USA, Great Gatsby and feather headbands, there is actually a lot to be said about the 1920s in New Zealand. Radio, cinema, gramophones, motor cars, electricity, fuel, the broadening of educational and professional sectors and cities were all expanding as ‘modern’ New Zealand came of...

Expect the unexpected

When managing a collection of photographs six million strong, you soon learn to expect the unexpected. In the time that I have worked with the collections at Ashburton Museum, I have come across a number of unique and interesting images which hold some novelty or significance beyond historical.

Mighty Marmite: Refill, Reuse, Repurpose

The Ashburton Museum collection includes all sorts of rare and common objects, and all have potential to tell interesting stories. But what can one humble, and once ubiquitous Marmite jar tell us about both the past and today?

Dry Docks and Sunspots

People are always trying to predict and speculate on the future – it’s often more important to us than the present. Whether we are thinking ahead at work, checking the weather, or making financial decisions, the future is always on our minds. The distant future, too, is often the subject of much discussion and thought,...

The Topp Twins: A Kiwi History

In late 2019, the Ashburton Museum hosted Te Manawa Museum's popular exhibition ‘The Topp Twins: An Exhibition for New Zealand’. It celebrated the outstanding contribution these inspiring women make to our nation’s social, cultural and political landscape. The Topp Twins relates well to our small town, kiwi can-do attitude common to many communities around New...

Why we love home

In 2019, the exhibition Ashburton: Feels Like Home gave us a chance to overcome this difficulty. In the exhibition, we asked our visitors to tell us, in their own words, what makes them know they are home?

Looking back at the Radiant Hall

If our past exhibitions at Ashburton Museum can highlight how a magnificent story can come from just one object, this is particularly true with the Radiant Hall exhibition. While Meet You At the Radiant Hall ran way back in 2017, we were once again reminded of it with our exhibition, Ashburton: Feels Like Home from...

The Namesake of Our Valetta

While the team at Ashburton Museum were working on Ashburton: Feels Like Home, our 2019 Spring exhibition, we became even more interested than usual in all the things that make this district feel special and familiar. Home is a big theme, and it was especially interesting trying to tease out the myriad sights, ideas, experiences...