Director of museum and arts, Liz Cotton, outside Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga O Waikato in Hamilton. Photo / Supplied
If you are still on holiday - no matter what the weather - a visit to the Waikato Museum in Hamilton is a great day out. This story was first published in September 2022.
Gone are the days when museums were simply dusty repositories of assorted items from the past. Today's museums aim to increase our sense of well-being, can help us all feel proud of where we have come from, and enrich our perspectives by breaking down barriers.
One of New Zealand's finest modern museums is Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga O Waikato in the heart of Hamilton City. There is nothing fusty about it and, as part of the Mighty Local series of stories, the Waikato Herald takes a look at what is on now at our house of treasures/te whare taonga.
Waikato Museum, located in the south-end cultural precinct of Kirikiriroa Hamilton overlooking the Waikato River, is kaitiaki/caretaker of taonga tuku iho/rare and sacred objects, not only of the region but also national and international.
Director of museum and arts Liz Cotton is passionate about the role museums play in our communities.
"Museums build relationships in their communities and beyond. It's not uncommon for our offering to encompass social history, tangata whenua, the arts, and science – all at the same time. A visit here can inspire, challenge, and stimulate, as exhibitions and events bring us together, and often help us to understand other's points of view."
Managed by Hamilton City Council, this fantastic regional asset is open every day of the year except Christmas Day and is free to visit. Admission fees may apply at times for specific activities and touring exhibitions.
Michael Parekōwhai's towering Tongue of the Dog sculpture is the eye-catching marker at the entrance to the museum.
The building houses 13 galleries where each year there are blockbuster touring exhibitions from overseas and around New Zealand that is featured alongside museum-curated exhibitions telling the stories of the region.
Previous headliners have included the world premiere of Galileo: Scientist, Astronomer, Visionary and the record-breaking crowd puller Our Moon: Then, Now & Beyond. There is another blockbuster exhibition coming; details will be revealed soon.
As well as the calendar of exciting exhibitions, Waikato Museum often complements displays with talks by artists and science specialists, Māori arts and crafts workshops, concerts, and lectures.
A major highlight for most visitors is the permanent display of the 200-year-old war canoe/waka taua Te Winika, which was gifted by the late Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Near the waka taua is the Shaping Hamilton exhibition, telling the early development of the area.
Each year Waikato Museum stages the National Contemporary Art Award to bring the best of Aotearoa's contemporary art to the region. The top artist receives $20,000 in prize money.
This year's winning works – there are four top prizes – and those of all the finalists are on display until November 13; the exhibition features 35 works in a range of media and styles.
In a free talk in the gallery on October 1, there is the chance to meet this year's judge, Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tūhourangi), to hear about the winning works, including the top prize winner, Red Handed, created by multi-media artist Emma Hercus. Reuben is one of New Zealand's leading contemporary artists and, as is the custom in the award, made his selection without knowing the identity of any of the artists – a blind judging process.
Members of the public can also vote for their favourite work in the Campbell Smith People's Choice Award – either in person at the museum or via the museum's Facebook page. Voting closes on October 30.
Another current drawcard at Waikato Museum is the large-scale Toi is Rongoaa exhibition celebrating 14 contemporary Māori artists, on display until January 16.
The works explore the need for healing, and wellbeing amid the turmoil of life, and feature a variety of traditional and innovative modern materials such as fluorescent wool, clay, steel, improvised music, and oil paint on canvas.
Toi is translated in this instance as a creative practice, while rongoaa refers to traditional Māori healing.
A selection of the powerful sculptures created by Tainui artist Fred Graham (Ngāti Korokī Kahukura) is featured in the exhibition entitled Katohia He Wai Moou, Katohia He Wa Mooku: Waikato River Works.
The sculptures are on display until January 29. They are on loan from the Waikato River Authority and relate to sites along the mighty Waikato awa.
A former Māori All Black, Fred is a world-renowned carver and an inspiring mentor who has shared his knowledge and skills with many New Zealand artists. He belongs to the groundbreaking group of artists including Ralph Hotere and Cliff Whiting who, from the 1950s, developed modern Māori art.
Popular with young visitors is the museum's science centre, Exscite, which is jam-packed with interactive, science-based activities that ensure there is learning while having fun.
Each school holiday period there is always something special laid on for the kids with the focus this coming school holidays – October 1 to 16 – on Art Explorers.
This is a series of art classes designed to expand children's knowledge of modern and contemporary art while introducing them to new materials and techniques. The six sessions, suitable for ages 7 to 13, are built around exhibitions at the museum and range from creating paper sculptures and playing with pastels to making puppets and wallpaper.
For those who want to go beyond what is on the museum walls, there are enriching guided tours.
Three times weekly there is the Hamilton History Tour that includes a stroll outdoors to hear the varied stories of the city's past and the major events that shaped the areas around the museum.
The Collection Secrets Tour is a look behind the scenes with museum staff that reveals some of the 30,000 taonga/objects in the museum's care. Bookings are essential and subject to staff availability.
Waikato Museum also manages the adjacent ArtsPost shop and gallery, housed in the heritage building that was once Hamilton's Post and Telegraph Office.
Dedicated to developing and promoting artists, ArtsPost has three exhibition spaces displaying an exciting range of fresh art that changes regularly.
Each year ArtsPost celebrates the iconic agricultural product, No. 8 wire, with the Fieldays No. 8 Wire National Art Award challenging artists around the country to transform wire into an inspiring work of art. The winning work is displayed at ArtsPost for a month before being permanently housed at the New Zealand National Fieldays Society head office at Mystery Creek.
ArtsPost's retail shop is widely regarded as the place to find the perfect locally made creation to take home, be it an original piece of art or a limited edition print, a piece of jewellery or a book.
● To learn more see: waikatomuseum.co.nz or Waikatonz.com
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