Preparing for a busy summer

With the arrival of cruise ship season we’re looking forward to a busy time for MTG Hawke’s Bay and the region. After two years of Covid-19, followed by cyclone Gabrielle, Te Matau-a-Māui deserves a good summer! With the first of the large cruise ships arriving on Wednesday we’re hoping it will bring much needed benefit for all. It’s always lovely to see the streets full with the buzz of many people enjoying this beautiful part of the country.

To prepare for the influx of visitors we’ve been stocking our museum shop with items to tempt visitors from overseas and locals alike. Our retail space is stocked to the brim with great options for christmas gifts and stocking stuffers so come in and have a look at what we have on offer.

Last week we opened a display of photography work completed by EIT students who have been based at MTG following Cyclone Gabrielle. These students are level 6, so halfway through their studies for a design qualification. It was a pleasure having these students at MTG and, while they’ve had to compromise on the space available to them, they worked diligently with good grace in their somewhat constrained temporary home. The work they’ve produced is on display close to the entry to Napier library. While this is a display of photography work from the students there is also a delightful 3D miniature scene that was created on display. While we had to give up some space and undergo constrain ourselves, I do miss having the students and all their creative energy around the place. We invite you to visit and see some of their work while it’s on display.

2023 has seen multiple groups making MTG their home for one reason or another. Napier library has been with us for a number of years now and, while work is underway on creating the new library, they’ll be with us for a while yet. EIT students from design and performance found a home at MTG while their campus was devastated following the cyclone. More recently the i-site team have had a base here while rebranding work was happening in their site. They have their last day with us tomorrow, Sunday 19, and will reopen with a new look and feel back in the i-site building on Monday. It’s certainly created some challenges fitting all these people into the building but we’ve been really happy to have them here and pleased to be able to help our community when help is needed.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the team is busy working on the final two exhibitions for the year. Pictures and Other Works celebrates ten years of the MTG Foundation who have raised funds to acquire items for the collection. This exhibition features a sampling of the 87 works acquired over the years by this group, who continue to support the museum and grow the collection for the benefit of the region. Pictures and Other Works opens to the public on Saturday 25 November. Pūrākau ō Te Whenua will share stories behind some of the place names in Te Matau-a-Māui. Some stories may be familiar to you – others less so. This exhibition will open to the public just before Christmas. Why not come in over your summer break and learn about the whenua on which we stand.

Published in the Hawke’s Bay Today newspaper on 18 November 2023 and written by Laura Vodanovich, Director at MTG Hawke’s Bay.

20 November 2023

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