Highlights
150 Years Since the Birth of Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford has been described as one of the greatest scientists of all time. Much of his success has been credited to his family and his early life, which started in Te Tauihu (top of the South Island). See our newest online exhibition at http://www.nelsonmuseum.co.nz/online-exhibitions/150rutherford
Richard Nunns Collection of World Musical Instruments
Richard Nunns was an authority on ngā taonga puoro (Māori traditional musical instruments). In 2009, Richard generously donated his collection of world instruments to the Nelson Provincial Museum for teaching and display. Richard Nunns passed away on June 7, 2021. Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui-a-Tāne.
Taonga Pūoro
The Nelson Provincial Museum holds a unique collection of hand made Taonga Puoro, or Māori musical instruments, by local craftsman and practitioner Brian Flintoff.
COVID-19 Collecting
The Nelson Provincial Museum formed a collaboration with the Nelson City Library and Tasman District Libraries to collect and document COVID-19 related objects, images and stories in a variety of formats. The museum has also applied a contemporary collecting strategy to document and collect COVID-19 related experiences in the Nelson Tasman region. Titled "Life in the Bubble", the open platform for public submissions can be found here http://www.nelsonpubliclibraries.co.nz/library/life-in-the-bubble. Alternatively, the museum and libraries can be contacted for private donations or submissions..
Ablaze
Our new touring exhibition Ablaze marks the two-year anniversary of the devastating 2019 Tasman Fires and tells the story of how they affected the region: its environment, people, and animals. Browse through historic archives, images and objects re-telling stories of fires past and the history of our emergency services.