Nairn Street Cottage

16/08/2026

“Being aware of that sense of history in relation to the place you actually live. The history that is in your backyard opens up different possibilities of the way we think about the places we live and the and the relationships that have existed in those places for over 100 years.” - Emma Ng, Co-curator of Unsettling Nairn Street.

Listen to the conversation with Emma and Perlina Lau on RNZ Culture 101 about the pop-up exhibition.

Unsettling Nairn Street
📍 Nairn Street Cottage
Open Saturdays & Sundays, 12pm–4pm until 31 October 2026
FREE Entry

Nairn Street Cottage has stood since around 1858 and has been a house museum since 1980, with each room dressed to reflect a different decade of the Wallace family's occupation. A new exhibition, Unsettling Nairn Street, has placed seven contemporary artists in those rooms to respond to the layers o...

31/07/2026

To mark the opening of Unsettling Nairn Street today, we're sharing Richard Shaw reading an excerpt from The Unsettled: Small Stories of Colonisation.

Richard's work inspired this new exhibition, which invites visitors to look again at the stories, histories, and silences held within Wellington's oldest surviving cottage.

This is a City Gallery Wellington pop-up exhibition presented at Nairn Street Cottage.

📅 Saturdays & Sundays, 12pm–4pm
🗓️ 1 August – 31 October 2026
📍 Nairn Street Cottage

27/07/2026

“Learn your small story. Know your place (literally). Fill in the silences with words.” — Richard Shaw

What stories lie within the walls of Wellington’s oldest surviving cottage? What stories lie beneath?

Inspired by author Richard Shaw’s trilogy exploring his Pākehā whakapapa and its relation to colonial legacies — The Forgotten Coast (2021), The Unsettled (2024) and The Good Settler (2026) — Unsettling Nairn Street invites seven contemporary artists to respond to the ground floor rooms of Nairn Street Cottage.

From a nursery inspired by the 1860s, where fragments of original wallpaper remain, to a kitchen recalling the 1970s, each artist engages with the cottage’s layered narratives and the whenua on which it stands. Together, their works stir up the past and encourage us to look again at the stories this historic place holds.

Featuring artists Heidi Brickell, Paula Collier, Riki Pirihi, Isabella Lepoamo, George Turner, Daniel Unverricht and Erica van Zon.

This is a City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi pop-up exhibition presented at Nairn Street Cottage.

Learn more > https://citygallery.org.nz/exhibition/unsettling-nairn-street/

The cottage will be open every Saturday & Sunday 12pm-4pm from 1 August until 31 October 2026

IMAGE: George Turner, 2026.

23/07/2026

Some memories are too important to keep to ourselves.

This Matariki, our Mai i te Whenua ki te Rangi Tree of Remembrance has become a place for treasured names, stories, and messages to be shared beneath the winter sky.

Each star hanging from its branches carries a memory. Together, they create a living reminder of the people who came before us and those we continue to hold close.

We invite you to add your own message and become part of this shared act of remembrance.

📅 On now until 31 July, all hours
🌳 Free, drop-in experience at 68 Nairn Street

16/07/2026

Nairn Street Cottage is now temporarily closed as we prepare for Unsettling Nairn Street.

The cottage will reopen on Saturday 1 August with a new exhibition that invites visitors to experience Wellington's oldest surviving cottage in a whole new way.

Featuring seven contemporary artists, Unsettling Nairn Street explores the stories, histories, and silences held within this historic place.

Learn more: https://www.museumswellington.org.nz/unsettling-nairn-street/

09/07/2026

Tree of Remembrance Mai i te whenua ki te rangi returns to Nairn Street Cottage's heritage garden this Matariki 🌟

Take a quiet moment to write a message and honour someone special who is no longer with you. Each note becomes part of a collective tribute, rooted in memory, love, and reflection.

📅 On now until 31 July, all hours
🌳 Free, drop-in experience at 68 Nairn Street

06/07/2026

A flashback to one of our original Nairn Street Cottage newsletters, featuring the beautiful View of Wellington artwork by Charles Decimus Barraud.

Fast forward to today, and we’re now sharing our updates digitally via email 📧

If you’d like to stay up to date with events and exhibitions across Nairn Street Cottage, Wellington Museum, and Cable Car Museum, we’d love to have you join our mailing list.

Click the link below to sign up and receive updates straight to your inbox: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/y/B5BF762673C2EDAA

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📷 Newsletter: Wellington City Council Archives, 00277-2776 (28/6/2 Part 2)

Artwork: Barraud, Charles Decimus, 1822-1897. [Barraud, Charles Decimus] 1822-1897 :[View of Wellington] N.Z., 1861. Ref: G-670. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22628286

05/07/2026

Looking back at artwork of the past 🕰️

This painting looks down from Nairn Street towards Upper Willis Street, with Thorndon in the distance. An early settler’s cottage sits on the right-hand side of the street, which could be Nairn Street Cottage.

Nairn Street is one of the original New Zealand Company streets from 1840, named after Sir Alexander Nairne, one of the Company’s earliest directors.

Book a tour with one of our knowledgeable guides and journey through the stories of Wellington’s past.

Credit 📷 Barraud, Charles Decimus, 1822-1897. [Barraud, Charles Decimus] 1822-1897 :Nairn Street, upper Willis Street, Wellington. Painted about 1856. Ref: G-558. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23019454

03/07/2026

Bring a little botanical beauty into your day 💐

From hand-painted jewellery by Natty to Karl Maughan x BLUNT umbrellas and stunning books like Flora by Te Papa Press, you'll find plenty of nature-inspired treasures to explore.

Shop online: https://shopwellington.nz/

25/06/2026

Cottage visitor love💌

We love hearing how a visit to Nairn Street Cottage connects people to Wellington’s stories in a meaningful way ✨

“Our tour guide was absolutely fantastic! They had incredible knowledge of wider Wellington that has helped me see the city differently. The best tour guide I’ve ever had!”

Come and experience it for yourself🏡

Book in a tour with one of our knowledgeable guides to journey through stories of Wellington’s past.

https://www.museumswellington.org.nz/nairn-street-cottage-tours/