Once the collection is relocated and the team have settled into the new workplace (and recovered from the mammoth effort of the physical move), we look forward to inviting the community in to see the level of care given to the treasures held for the benefit of current and future generations.
While this work will be occupying the collection team’s focus and effort, our other work continues. This year we will be completely redeveloping the 1931 earthquake exhibition. Although the existing gallery does an excellent job of telling the social history stories around this significant event, we would like it to do more. So, the new gallery will keep all the social history stories but add more accounts from across the region, include mātauranga Māori, geological science, advice on how to prepare and protect your home, and what to do during and immediately after an earthquake. We’re excited about the redevelopment of this exhibition and the more in-depth information it will provide.
The gallery will be closed for a few months. Because it is one of our most popular exhibitions, we will have a temporary interactive exhibit from Te Papa on various natural hazards in the front foyer, so these important messages are still available.
Another exhibition I’m really excited about that will open in 2025 is Hidden in History: Trailblazing Women of Hawke’s Bay. This has been a labour of love for associate research curator Kay Morris Matthews, who has completed considerable and extensive research on the selected women. Born from a conversation about our written history focusing on men and ignoring the often considerable contribution and impactful work of women, Hidden in History will bring some of these amazing women into the light.
The process of selection wasn’t easy, so an external project advisory group was set up to help with the process. Starting with a long list of prospective women who had made a significant contribution to their communities and/or broke new ground, they established various selection criteria.
These included: that there was enough information on each woman to support their inclusion; that they had not had solo exhibitions or books; that they were deceased (time helps clarify the impact of an individual); and that they represented different backgrounds and areas across the region. Some women were so invisible that very little information could be recovered – a issue common to women’s history. Considerable effort was made to contact descendants were possible and I would like to thank those who responded to my earlier column making a last attempt to contact descendants.
The final selection does not claim to acknowledge all the amazing women of Te Matau-a-Māui but it does let those included receive a small moment of recognition. Not content with just an exhibition, Kay is also writing a book, providing much more detail on each woman. Kay has put considerable effort into her research and I can’t wait to see the final product of all this work. Hidden in History will open late March.
These are just two of the exhibitions planned for 2025 and there will be others along the way – however, the collection move, the revamped earthquake gallery and Hidden in History will be defining moments in our calendar.
We look forward to seeing you and your whānau at MTG throughout the year.
