House of Treasures: Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho

On 1 October 2020 Canterbury Museum marks 150 years on Rolleston Avenue.

The Museum housed 25,353 objects when Sir Julius von Haast, our founder and first Director opened the doors to the public. Today the Museum cares for an estimated 2.3 million taonga (treasures) on behalf of the Canterbury community.

'House of Treasures: Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho' showcases rarely-seen treasures from the Museum’s collection, and highlights iconic objects on display in the Museum galleries.

See the only Huia nest in the world, the dress worn by Kate Sheppard on our $10 note, the boots Edmund Hillary wore when he conquered Mount Everest, the Victoria Cross awarded to local hero, Henry Nicholas, a 4.3-metre long skeleton of the South Island Giant Moa, the first book produced in Antarctica and treasures from distant shores.

Accompanying the exhibition is a specially produced book of the same name featuring 150 taonga (treasures) from this vast collection.

The taonga in 'House of Treasures' tells an extraordinary story of natural and human history, and of Canterbury Museum itself. They speak of the depth and breadth of the collection and honour the generations of staff, volunteers and visitors who have made the Museum the remarkable and much-loved place that it is today.