Nelson Historical Society, Nelson New Zealand

15/06/2026

Local story on the opening of the Glenhope railway.

Long wait ends as railway reaches Glenhope in 1912

14/06/2026

Members of the Nelson Historical Society enjoyed a special night at the Nelson Provincial Museum Gala Royale to support the Nelson Museum ARC Project. Attendees were treated to casino style games, auctions, delicious dinner, and a captivating talk by invited speaker Nathan Fa'avae about adventure racing around the world and the amazing endurance of these athletes. We finished the night with local talent The Brook Street Volcanics 🎻🎶

11/06/2026

Some exciting public talks on this weekend including a conservation talk with Shannel Courtney KSM on Saturday, and Joe (Wolfgang Joseph Passl) for a reflective talk on Little Stories of Aotearoa at Elmer Turner on Sunday. See link below for more information.

Diverse exhibitions and music, contemporary dance and disco are some of the entertainment on offer this weekend.

10/06/2026

New publication on 40 years of excavations at the Maitahi Valley

NZAA is pleased to announce the publication of Monograph 30, The Maitai Valley Excavations: An Argillite Adze Quarry in New Zealand, by Dan and Alison Witter. This monograph republishes Dan’s formative report on the 1984 salvage excavations in the Maitai Valley east of Nelson, which focused on a series of early Māori stone-working sites along the northern branch of the Maitai River. This resulted in a report that is one of the most important contributions to stone technology recording and analysis in Aotearoa. Prior to the Maitai Valley excavations, studies of early Māori stone tools predominantly focused on description and classification, with few examining stone working sites and adze technology, and not to the level of the Maitai Valley work. While various advances in field recording technology and analytical techniques have been made over the last 40 years, Dan and Alison’s work still provides the best example of how to excavate and analyse stone working sites in Aotearoa. Equally important is their thoughtful integration of the Maitai Valley results into the history of Aotearoa, placing the Maitai Valley in the framework of change between the early and late periods. This monograph is essential reading not just for lithic specialists but for all archaeologists seeking to understand the early history of the motu.

Price $40.00 (GST inclusive) + postage Orders to: http://nzarchaeology.org/publications [email protected]

10/06/2026

The Nelson Historical Society proudly supported the new collection facility and we're excited to see it break ground.

Construction starts on long-awaited heritage storage facility

07/06/2026

FINAL REMINDER Tomorrow Night – Toni MacKinnon at Nelson Historical Society

A reminder that our June meeting and AGM takes place tomorrow evening, followed by guest speaker Toni MacKinnon, Director of The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū.

Toni will share her thoughts on The Suter’s history, its place in Nelson, and the vision for its future.

Monday 8 June
7.30pm
St Stephens Community Church, Tahunanui Drive
$2 entry | All welcome
Light supper provided after the meeting

We promise to keep the AGM formalities brief, hope to see you there.

07/06/2026

Just a reminder that members will be getting a special curator led tour and talk about this exhibition on July 13 starting at 530pm.

In what's believed to be a first, a new exhibition underway in Nelson is dedicated entirely to the mountain daisy Tikumu.

02/06/2026

Another wonderful collection of photographs showcasing Nelson and its people has been digitised and is now available on the Nelson Provincial Museum Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao website. Check it out below.