Te Awamutu Museum

Te Awamutu Museum We champion Waipā’s History by sharing powerful and relevant stories with experiences that captivate.

🌿 Collection Feature: Te Reo Māori in the Archives 🌿As Family History Month ends and we look forward to Te Wiki o te Reo...
29/08/2026

🌿 Collection Feature: Te Reo Māori in the Archives 🌿

As Family History Month ends and we look forward to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori next month, we're highlighting taonga in our collection that preserve te reo Māori.

Our archives include:

📜 Historical Documents in Te Reo
Early letters, petitions, and records written entirely in te reo Māori — primary sources that show how language was used in everyday communication.

📋 Māori Land Court Records
Proceedings recorded in both te reo Māori and English, containing whakapapa information and land histories.

📖 Early Māori Printed Materials
Some of the first publications printed in te reo Māori, showing the language's transition to written form.

🗣️ Oral History Recordings
Audio recordings of kaumātua sharing kōrero, waiata, and whakapapa in te reo Māori.

These taonga remind us that te reo Māori is not just a language — it's a living connection to our past and a bridge to our future.

Ka mua, ka muri — walking backwards into the future.

🕐 Planning a visit? We're open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Public Holidays 10am-2pm

28/08/2026

Looking for a free weekend activity? ☀️

Visit Stitched in Time at Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum. Explore vintage sewing machines and the quiet stories held in everyday objects.

Free entry | Open Saturday 10am-2pm
📍 135 Roche Street, Te Awamutu
Plan your visit: www.tamuseum.org.nz

🐦✨ Tui & Tama's Cabinet of Curios has arrived!Tui and Tama have been exploring the museum collection and choosing fascin...
28/08/2026

🐦✨ Tui & Tama's Cabinet of Curios has arrived!

Tui and Tama have been exploring the museum collection and choosing fascinating objects that are rarely seen by visitors.

🔍 Will you discover something useful?
🧐 Something unusual?
❓ Something mysterious?

Bring your whānau and see if you can work out why these objects caught their attention. Complete the activity booklet and earn your Koura sticker.

📅 Available during Term 3 only
📍 Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum
🎟 Free admission
Plan your visit today!

📸 Photo Friday: Waikato History in Pictures 📸As Family History Month comes to a close, we're celebrating the photographs...
27/08/2026

📸 Photo Friday: Waikato History in Pictures 📸

As Family History Month comes to a close, we're celebrating the photographs that bring Waikato's history to life.

Our photograph collection captures:
🏘️ Townships and streetscapes through the decades
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families and community groups
🚂 Transport and industry
🎉 Events and celebrations
🌾 Rural life and farming
⛪ Churches, schools, and public buildings

For family historians, photographs are precious:
✨ They put faces to names in your family tree
✨ They show what life was really like
✨ They preserve moments that might otherwise be forgotten

Have you found photographs of your ancestors in museum or archive collections?

Share your stories below! We'd love to hear about your discoveries. 💬



Image: A bird's eye view of our collections online. Check this out for your self: https://collection.tamuseum.org.nz/explore

26/08/2026

🌿 Kupu o te Rā: Whakapapa 🌿

As we look ahead to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, here's a kupu (word) that connects language and heritage:

WHAKAPAPA
/fah-kah-pah-pah/

📖 Meaning:
• Genealogy, ancestry
• To layer, to recite genealogies
• The process of laying one thing upon another

💡 Whakapapa is more than a family tree. It describes the layered connections between people, land, stories, and identity.

In te ao Māori, whakapapa connects:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Whānau, hapū, and iwi
🏔️ People to maunga (mountains)
🌊 Communities to awa (rivers)
🌿 Generations to tupuna (ancestors)

Try using it:
"Ko tōku whakapapa tēnei" — This is my genealogy

What words from te reo Māori do you use in everyday life? 💬

The Collectors Anonymous booklet is the perfect companion for a Te Awamutu op-shopping day out. Pick one up for free whe...
25/08/2026

The Collectors Anonymous booklet is the perfect companion for a Te Awamutu op-shopping day out. Pick one up for free when you visit Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum, then use it to explore more than 30 vintage, retro, antique, pre-loved, secondhand, and charity stores across Te Awamutu and Waipā.

For Hamilton-based SuperGold Card holders, the day can be even easier: travel by Busit Route 24 — ensure your SuperGold concession is loaded onto a registered Bee Card (register at https://www.busit.co.nz/fares/concessions/).

Enjoy free Museum entry, and head out treasure hunting with your booklet in hand. Limited Red Kitchen coffee vouchers and Hoops n Scoops donut vouchers are available while stocks last.

Collect your booklet and continue exploring Waipā.

🌿 Language & Heritage: The Connection Between Te Reo and Whakapapa 🌿As Family History Month draws to a close and we look...
25/08/2026

🌿 Language & Heritage: The Connection Between Te Reo and Whakapapa 🌿

As Family History Month draws to a close and we look ahead to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori in September, we're reflecting on the deep connection between language and heritage.

Te reo Māori carries:
📜 The names and stories of tupuna
🏔️ Connections to whenua, awa, and maunga
🎭 Tikanga and cultural knowledge
💚 Identity and belonging

For many whānau researching their whakapapa, learning te reo is part of reconnecting with their heritage.

In our collections, you'll find taonga that demonstrate this connection — documents in te reo, place names with deep meaning, and stories that can only be fully understood through the language.

How has language been part of your heritage journey? 💬

25/08/2026

Yes, this promo is still on. Get your Gold Card and enjoy a great day out in Te Awamutu with the Te Awamutu Museum

24/08/2026

Do you remember sewing at home, at school, or in the community? 🧵

Stitched in Time at Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum explores vintage sewing machines and the memories they hold. Bring someone special and share your stories with us.

Free entry | On display until 20 October 2026
📍 135 Roche Street, Te Awamutu

Visit Stitched in Time — free entry at Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum.

22/08/2026

🌿 Taonga Feature: Whakapapa Records in the Collection 🌿

This Family History Month, we're highlighting taonga that help connect whānau to their past.

Our museum cares for whakapapa records that have been entrusted to us over generations. These precious documents include:

📜 Handwritten genealogies
📋 Iwi and hapū records
📖 Family Bibles with birth and marriage records
📝 Letters and diaries
🗺️ Land transaction documents with genealogical information

These taonga are more than historical documents — they are living connections to tupuna and treasured links in the whakapapa chain.

For many whānau, these records have helped rebuild connections lost over time.

What family records have been passed down in your whānau? 💬

🕐 Planning a visit? We're open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Public Holidays 10am-2pm
📚 Research Room bookings available, contact us today!

Address

135 Roche Street
Te Awamutu
3800

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4am
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

+6478720085

Website

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