MTG Hawke's Bay | New Zealand

What's On

Every day there’s something new to do at the museum. Explore an exhibition, attend an event, take part in a free tour or do a fun activity with kids...

Buy

Browse our curated selection of books, art, cards, and more. Purchase tickets for our events, and give the gift of choice with our gift vouchers.

Discover

Explore our collection highlights and search our online collections, showcasing just some of the 90,000 objects we have been caring for since 1859.

Learn

Students of all ages can experience the museum’s exhibitions and special programmes on a school visit, guided by one of our trained educators.

Showreel

Imagine the world in the year 2118, a world covered in endless ocean and populated by new forms of marine life that adapt in response to the proliferation of plastic.

George Nuku: Bottled Ocean 2118

“Every so often, in a distant place, there comes into existence someone with individuality and refined genius.

The Architectural Legacy of J. A. Louis Hay

He Manu Tīoriori (introduction to the award-winning exhibition)

100 Years of Ngati Kahungunu Music

Timelapse of Taupuruariki (Ariki) Brightwell’s mural

Te Aniwaniwa Nui

In Bottled Ocean 2118, Paris-based, Hastings-raised artist George Nuku presented a vision of the future in which the world is covered with water, and where the surviving life forms have adapted to the proliferation of plastic. This exhibition was the culmination of three weeks of creative collaboration with schools, polytechnic groups, members of the public, many of George’s friends and whanau, and organisations such as Pare Kore, the National Aquarium of NZ, and Te Matau a Māui Voyaging Trust. The high level of interest, and public interaction with tours, artist and floor talks showed how much Bottled Ocean 2118 struck a chord with people from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand and beyond.

NZ Museum Awards 2019: George Nuku: Bottled Ocean 2118 - Most Innovative Public Programme

The House of Webb exhibition grew from a plain red book labelled ‘Letters from New Zealand’. One of the treasures of the MTG collections, the letters date from 1884-85 and were written by the members of the Webb family, Reverend Anthony, his wife Patty, their seven children and three nephews who emigrated from England to settle in Ormondville. The letters, which also contain watercolours and sketches, were lovingly preserved by the recipient, Mary Webb, who lived in England. Besides creating stronger ties with the Southern Hawke’s Bay community, the exhibition has been enjoyed by a wide range of people. It provides the perfect forum for social history, decorative arts, fine arts and literature to be discussed in a number of ways, such as behind the scenes tours, which were booked solid, along with art and writing classes held within the exhibition space.

NZ Museum Awards: The House of Webb: A Victorian Family’s Journey to Ormondville - Exhibition Excellence: Social History

Project Banaba

An overview of the Iwitoi Kahungunu - TOI ĀHUA EXHIBITION. On display in the front foyer at MTG

IWITOI KAHUNGUNU – TOI ĀHUA EXHIBITION: An overview

Mystery of History Exhibition

Showreel

Attention to detail makes visitors’ experience special

Museums and galleries require a lot of different people, activities and tasks to make them function. Most are aware of the curator’s role in an organisation such as ours – they undertake all the research behind exhibitions, find themes and interesting elements, look at the subject-matter in a wider context and then, ultimately, distil it down into the information you see when you enter one of our galleries. They choose objects from the collection, or borrow items, and carefully consider what is grouped together and how they support the display.

Show more News