Feathers for Hawke’s Bay: Leave a legacy with the MTG Hawke’s Bay Regional Research and Archive Centre

Sam Stanton from Strata Group (left), Jeanette Kelly, MTG Foundation chairwoman, Mark Witkowski, Gemco site manager in front of the MTG Hawke's Bay Regional Research and Archive Centre, Hastings. Photo / Warren Buckland

The MTG Hawke’s Bay Regional Research and Archive Centre, set to be home to over 90,000 regional treasures in Hastings, will be wrapped in korowai of metal feathers.

The MTG Foundation says the project is a chance for the community to leave a legacy on the building and Hawke’s Bay in general.

It is offering businesses, families, and community groups a chance to donate $10,000 and have a name laser engraved onto a 6m-tall steel huia, toroa, or kura feather.

Chairwoman Jeanette Kelly said the building on the corner of Hastings Street North and Queen St East was still under construction and the foundation was in the final fundraising phase for the feathers.

The foundation was a quarter of the way through collecting names and could engrave 80 names on 40 feathers.

The red square shows the position on the feather where the names will be engraved.

The joint project is being otherwise funded by the Hastings and Napier councils, the Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi and Ngāti Hori.

“This essentially is protecting the treasure of Hawke’s Bay for the generations to come.”

She said the building would use technology to ensure the inside is light-proof, dust-proof, and temperature and humidity-controlled, and would withstand earthquakes, tsunamis, and cyclones.

Kelly hoped that open days and prebooked visits would allow visitors to understand how the collections are stored and understand what is required to do that.

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There would also be an education room for interest and school groups to explore the collections, and a reading room containing archives for people to make an appointment and carry out research on local history.

She said the capacity of the building was designed “for the future not just the present”, and would allow for growth in items.

The site was blessed in September 2023, and two mauri stones were laid to bind the elements and provide the life force for the new facility.

While the facility is being built, the collections team is focused on preparing each valuable item for its move to Hastings in 2025.

This means that during the year team members will not accept acquisitions, and will have reduced capacity for visits to the collection and inquiries.

From October these services will stop until they reopen in the new facility in late 2025.

Other fundraisers would include an arts versus sports debate, an online social media series called “What’s your treasure” featuring Hawke’s Bay people and their treasures, and a Givealittle page.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay newsrooms. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.