Comment: Help keep track of Kāpiti Coast's farming history

Federated Farmers National President Katie Milne. Photo / Supplied

Comment: Kāpiti Coast Museum in Waikanae wants to improve its collection and its knowledge base of farming in the area, writes Federated Farmers National President Katie Milne.

The race is on to get as much information as possible about the history of farming on the Kāpiti Coast.

Federated Farmers is throwing its weight behind an information request from one of the Wellington Region's smaller museums.

Kāpiti Coast Museum in Waikanae, about a 40-minute drive north of Wellington city, wants to improve its collection and its knowledge base of farming in the area.

The museum has a farming display - mainly of Waikanae farming history, but the museum management is keen to extend its work to reflect the history of farming on the Kāpiti Coast - boundaries stretch from Paekakariki to Otaki.

Read more from Federated Farmers here.

The museum's management committee is asking for any information about farming within their stated catchment area.

That could mean tools and methods used in farming with sources stated and dated, discoveries made during farming activities or sites of significance maintained with the help of farmers.

Farming in a lot of places has kept certain pieces of New Zealand's history alive.

Think about the evidence of one of New Zealand's first communities discovered in North Otago – that evidence was found by someone farming.

Māori art in North Otago and Canterbury is now getting better protection because farmers are working with local iwi.

You had moa bones turning up on farmland in places such as Whanganui and Taihape, which are now being looked after by museums.

Waikanae's museum is small so they cannot take large objects like tractors or harvesters, but they are open to objects relevant to their local population.

If you can help please email the Federated Farmers comms team, lcatley@fedfarm.org.nz and sedwards@fedfarm.org.nz.