Waimate Museum & Archives

11/06/2026

THIS SUNDAY - Waimate Historical Society AGM

2pm
Courthouse, 28 Shearman Street

After the AGM concludes, stick around for our visiting speaker! We look forward to seeing you there.

02/06/2026

The Waimate Historical Society is delighted to announce the Speaker for our 71st AGM on Sunday 14 June 2026. All are welcome to attend. The AGM begins at 2pm and Rauhina's talk will begin once it has concluded. We look forward to seeing you there!

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A bookshop, a bicycle, a bygone era: J.H. Beattie’s time and work in Waimate

What do a bookshop, a bicycle and thousands of pages of archives have in common? They were all once owned by one James Herries Beattie of Waimate: MBE, writer, collector, historian, speaker, stationer, bird enthusiast, member of the Waimate Historical Society, winner of the Percy Smith Prize for achievements in anthropology, and owner of a Canadian-made Massey-Harris bicycle.

Born in Gore in 1881, Herries Beattie was a resident of Waimate from the end of 1921 until his death in 1972. He operated a stationery and bookshop on Queen Street (“The Shop Next the Post Office”) for 17 years. Over his lifetime, he researched and collected screes of information on early New Zealand settlers, Southern Māori communities, and Otago and Southland history. He wrote more than 27 books and was awarded and the Percy Smith Prize for achievements in anthropology and an MBE for his work.

The Beattie papers held at Hocken were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World New Zealand register in 2018 and have been digitised as part of the Hocken’s Kāi Tahu digitisation programme.

Rauhina Kohuwai-Banks (Māori Archivist at the Hocken Collections) will share some of the fabulous treasures relating to Beattie’s time and work in the Waimate district from the digitised collection now available online on Hocken Digital Collections.

Image: Flyer, 8 September [1936], MS-582/R/11/008, Hocken Collections. URL: https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/66281 [Accessed 2 June 2026]

28/05/2026

Special Long Weekend Opening for King's Birthday Weekend

Visit the Waimate Museum this Saturday! We're open from 11-3 on the 30th of May. We hope to see you!

19/05/2026

WANTED - Banana boxes

Our team of Bookarama volunteers are delighted with the generosity of Waimate peoples' recent donations of books for Bookarama, thank you! However we are running low on banana boxes to keep them all contained and orderly until Labour weekend. If you do your shopping out of town and can ask at other supermarkets or have a few stashed away that you do not need, we would be very greatful to take them off your hands.

Give the Museum office a call or email, or pop in and see us during opening hours. Thank you in advance!

12/05/2026

World famous in South Canterbury, this October will mark the 25th annual Bookarama fundraiser for the Waimate Historical Society. Keep your eyes peeled for more info closer to Labour weekend, and get in touch if you have books to donate or any questions.

We look forward to seeing you all in October!

23/04/2026

Will we see you this weekend? Open Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 April 11-3!

Waimate Museum Special Weekend Opening Days UPDATE!

We will be open for ANZAC Day, Saturday 25 April from 11am-3pm, and again on Sunday the 26th. Pop in for a stroll through the grounds, we'd be delighted to see you.

Entry is $5 for adults and under 16's free. Eftpos available (card only, no paywave). We request that all children be accompanied by an adult, please.

Photo info: Children and dog in hay c 1953 - CE Clarke. Image catalogue number GP2645

15/04/2026

WHS AGM - 14 June 2026

Mark your calendars, the 71st Annual General Meeting of the Waimate Historical Society will be at 2pm on Sunday 14 June 2026. We look forward to seeing you there!

07/04/2026

Waimate Museum Special Weekend Opening Days UPDATE!

We will be open for ANZAC Day, Saturday 25 April from 11am-3pm, and again on Sunday the 26th. Pop in for a stroll through the grounds, we'd be delighted to see you.

Entry is $5 for adults and under 16's free. Eftpos available (card only, no paywave). We request that all children be accompanied by an adult, please.

Photo info: Children and dog in hay c 1953 - CE Clarke. Image catalogue number GP2645

04/03/2026

Special Weekend Opening

This Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th of March come in and explore the Waimate Museum!

11am - 2pm
Admission $5 for adults, under 16s free
Children to be accompanied by an adult, please

17/02/2026

THIS SUNDAY!
SONG SUNG BLUE movie fundraiser for Waimate Historical Society at the Regent Theatre

Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together. Starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

Sunday 22 February, 5.30pm. All tickets $15 (no comps)
Rated (M)
Run time 2 hours 12 minutes (plus an intermission)

This Christmas, dream huge. Check out the Song Sung Blue trailer for this upcoming film starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, and featuring the iconic songs...