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HBMT Overview

We hold the collections of the Hawke's Bay Museums Trust, held in trust for the benefit of the people of Hawke's Bay. Objects in the collection are an invaluable resource for enjoyment, education and exhibition. MTG Hawke’s Bay staff develop, document and maintain the collection to ensure that it is accessible to the public, researchers, and other organisations.

Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tā-ū-rangi

The collection  was largely assembled by Hawke’s Bay Art Gallery & Museum Society, prior to the formation of the Trust and who deposited them in the care of the Trust in 1989.

Objects are acquired for the collection through purchase and donation. Many people have given objects that they have owned, lived with, used and loved. Others have built up their own collections, enjoyed them through their lives before giving them to the Museum for future generations to enjoy and treasure. The result is a diverse collection of more than 100,000 objects and archival material.

The nature of the items in the care of MTG Hawke’s’ Bay reflect the history of the institution, the individuals involved, and changes in collecting interests in New Zealand since the mid-nineteenth century.

The original members of the Athenaeum focused on collecting Maori and ethnographic objects along with natural history specimens. From 1936 the Museum pursued an open collection policy, accepting a broad range of objects offered to the collections. The 1940s saw the collection divest itself of its natural history collection and refocus on social history, fine and applied arts.

Hawke's Bay Museums Trust Board Chair Richard  Grant
Napier City Council Tania Wright
Hastings District Council George Lyons
Iwi Representative Mike Paku
MTG Foundation Johanna

Mouat

Operational matters relating to the Hawke's Bay Museums Trust collection are carried out by MTG Hawke’s Bay staff.

 Please click here to view the Hawke's Bay Museums Trust 2019-21 Statement of Intent.

Disclaimers and Copyright
While every endeavour has been taken by the MTG Hawke's Bay to ensure that the information on this website is accurate and up to date, MTG Hawke's Bay shall not be liable for any loss suffered through the use, directly or indirectly, of information on this website. Information contained has been assembled in good faith. Some of the information available in this site is from the New Zealand Public domain and supplied by relevant government agencies. MTG Hawke's Bay cannot accept any liability for its accuracy or content. Portions of the information and material on this site, including data, pages, documents, online graphics and images are protected by copyright, unless specifically notified to the contrary. Externally sourced information or material is copyright to the respective provider.

© MTG Hawke's Bay - https://www.mtghawkesbay.com / +64 6 835 7781 / info@mtghawkesbay.com