Aotea Utanganui – Museum of South Taranaki

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The Aotea Utanganui – Museum of South Taranaki, formerly known as the South Taranaki District Museum, is located Patea, South Taranaki, New Zealand. The museum is a noteworthy archive of district information, articles and items, offering a rich and varied history of the area. The museum is located on State Highway 3 through Patea. The central section of the museum is the oldest colonial building in South Taranaki. The museum underwent renovations from 2008-2011.HistoryIt was built in 1869 and housed Taplin and Muir's General Store at the time of the first government sale of town sections in 1870.The origins of the Museum can be found within the Patea Historical Society. Its inaugural Chair, G Livingston Baker QSM, was instrumental in the establishment of a local repository for the history of the former Patea Borough and County Council's, and the families who had settled in the area.The collection of the museum includes paintings such as Hay-Campbell and Haddon's "Arrival of Turi", commissioned in 1933 to commemorate the arrival of the eponymous ancestor of Ngati Ruanui and Ngati Rauru, Turi in the 14th century. Other material relating to the Patea Maori Club can also be found in the collection.OrganisationFrom 2001 South Taranaki District Council provided an annual operating grant to the South Taranaki District Museum Trust. Through the adoption of the South Taranaki District Council's Arts, Culture and Heritage Policy, the Museum Trust and Council entered into a formal partnership which provided the shared objective of providing heritage services across the wider South Taranaki District.