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Heritage News

August's edition of Heritage News takes a closer look at the people and places that contribute to the tapestry of Palmerston North.

New Honour for Former Mayor

Jill White was recently named the 2023 Palmerston North Heritage Trust, Local Historian of the Year, Palmerston North - Manawatū area, at a presentation at Caccia Birch House.

Local Historian of the Year, Jill White, with Councillor, Rachel Bowen

Amongst her accomplishments she has written business history, most notably on the Manawatū Knitting Mills for the Manawatū Journal of History, played an important part in preserving heritage elements of St Paul's Methodist church during its demolition, been an active contributor to the city’s Local History Week and served on the Palmerston North Heritage Trust and Te Manawa Museum Society.

Palmerston North City Council Culture and Sport Committee Chairwoman, Rachel Bowen, read the following citation at the presention.

“Jill White knows her community, has been embedded in it since childhood, and contributed to it as a local and national politician. But it is as a historian that we honour her today.”

White was first elected to the Palmerston North City Council in 1983; in 1989, she become the first woman elected to the then Manawatū Wanganui Regional Council; in 1993 - 100 years after women were granted the right to vote - she became the first female MP for Manawatū; and in 1998, Palmerston North’s first female mayor.

Photo by Warrick Marshall Photography [Manawatū Heritage, 2018P_Artwork180_025056]

Current Palmerston North Mayor congratulated her on her committment, “You are the embodiment of what it means to be totally invested in, and committed to, your community,” Grant Smith said.

Recent Releases

A Manawatū Milestone

A council election in the early 60s marked an important milestone for Palmerston North. In 1962, Sam Mihaere stood for council and was resoundingly voted in as our first Māori City Councillor.

Born and educated in Tahoraiti, Dannevirke, Mihaere was the eldest of 14 children. 

After serving with the RNZAF in the Pacific, he joined the public service in 1941 and apart from a break of three years, when he went dairy farming,  he devoted his life to roles in government departments. These included the Departments of Agriculture and  Māori Affairs, where he worked as a Māori Welfare Officer. In 1957 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace.

In 1962, based in Palmerton North with his wife Lassie and seven children, and with strong community connections, he stood for council.

In the almost 17 years that followed, his presence was felt with roles on many council committees including time spent chairing Industrial and Promotion (1965-1968), Airport and Industrial Promotion (1968-1971), Trading (1971-1977), and Energy (1977-1979).  Encounters with royalty and grass roots involvement with many community groups were a few of his public service highlights. 

Photo by Manawatū Evening Standard [Manawatū Heritage, 2008N_O18_A-E_1294]

Re-elected in 1965 and in the two succeeding triennial elections - he was identified as the highest polling candidate. 

During his time in office he championed the use of Te Reo in both local and central government, encouraging, then local Member of Parliament, John Lithgow, to use Māori language as a trade tool in 1978.

“Learning the Maori language is not a luxury. The use of Maori protocol at trading negotiations would be a great asset to New Zealand,” Mr Mihaere said in a 1978 Manawatu Guardian interview.

Photo by Bruce Watt [Manawatū Heritage, 2007N_Cc22_PNCC_1012]

Councillor Mihaere's community involvement was inclusive and diverse; representing Palmerston North on the Manawatū Association for the placement of disabled children, Chairman of the Manawatū branch of the National Travel Association, member of the Palmerston North High School Board of Governors, Chairman of Queen Elizabeth High School sub-committee, Chairman of Highbury School from its inception, involvement with Scouting,  the Jaycees, supporting local rugby, the RSA and many other groups.

In 1977 his commitment to public service was recognised with a Queen's Service Medal.

In a 1977 Manawatu Tribune interview, he reflected that he found his role as City Councillor rewarding.

“Having to concentrate fully on something other than work commitments, provides for me the same sort of relaxation that others might find in sport or hobbies. My work as a Councillor is my great hobby,” he said.

After 16 years and 9 months in office, Councillor Sam Mihaere died suddenly, aged 56, on 9 August 1979. On the 28th of August, the Council named Mihaere Drive, in Kelvin Grove, in his honour.

With his passing, his many accomplishments and achievements as one of our longest serving councillors were remembered. Councillor Mihaere has an honoured place in Palmerston North history.

Whanau Finders

A new family search video for people with Māori whakapapa is now available.

Presenter, Verna Maria Tuteao, - provides an informative talk titled ‘The Invisible Woman: Finding and Understanding Clues to Help Identify Unknown Ancestors in New Zealand’.

In the video, Verna offers insights and explanations on Māori naming traditions and how they have changed over time, Māori Land Court records and the information available in them, and the tikanga for asking questions of newly discovered Māori whānau.

Reflections of a Born Again Local Historian

Local Landmark

Long before ‘social housing’ entered our vocabulary, a housing development in Palmerston North’s West End captured its essence.

In the late 1930s, the term ‘garden suburb’ was synonymous with the first Labour government's vision for state housing. 

Photo by Lee-Johnson Photos [Manawatū Heritage, 2010N_A175-67-1_004205]

[Manawatū Heritage, 2017Pa_A175-67_016158]

The idea was to stop adding to overcrowded cities, by building self-sufficient satellite suburbs and towns in green belts.

This concept was applied to new state housing developments of the era, with streets following the contour of hillsides, or on flat land, streets were curved and often featured reserves or parks in central locations.

In Palmerston North, one such development was named in honour of then Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage - Savage Crescent.

In the late 30s, the government purchased fifty acres of land in Palmerston North's West End, bound by College Street, Cook Street and Park Road. 

Between 1938 and 1945, 245 state houses were built in the precinct.

Designed by Reginald Bedford Hammond, the Savage Crescent development was built as part of the first Labour Government's vision to create "ideal suburbs." It aimed to incorporate a large central recreational area, communal garages and a variety of house designs, built for the sun and with ample gardens. 

In 2023, the majority of the houses in Savage Crescent are now privately owned, but the precinct remains as a significant example of state housing of this era in New Zealand.

In recognition of this, the Palmerston North City Council has recognised it as a heritage area of our city.

[Manawatū Heritage, 2007PA_ST139_STR_0063]

[Manawatū Heritage, 2017BD_IMCA-DigitalMaster_022244]

Remember When?

Thanks to the wonderful people at MAVTech (Museum of Audio Visual Technology in Foxton) we are going to have a display of beautifully preserved movie cameras and camcorders in the Central Library's Sound & Vision area, on the Mezzanine Floor, from September 4-22.

Accompanied by film clips from Manawatū Heritage, which were filmed in the corresponding eras, this display promises to take you on a trip back in time, especially if you remember filming things with a Super 8 camera or a VHS camcorder!

Feline Fascination

A feline statue is stirring curiosity and capturing the minds  of visitors to the 2nd floor of Central Library.

Cast in concrete with hand painted stripes, this lifelike tabby is perched on a glory box beside the Heritage Desk, and appears to be surveying the landscape. While its origins are unknown, its appeal is universal and a frequent question the Heritage Team is asked, ‘Does it have a name?’

Sadly the answer is "no," but with your help we hope to change that. If you have noticed this captivating cat and have a suggestion on what it should be called, email us. 

The person who suggests the chosen name will be awarded a wee token of our appreciation.

Mapping Manawatū

In 1858 British Civil Engineer, John Tiffin-Stewart, started a survey of the block lying between the Oroua River and the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges. This led to him recommending it as an ideal site for a township and his vision for Palmerston North.

Taken to a clearing in the bush called Papaioea, by Te Hiriwanu, paramount chief of Rangitāne (Ngāti Mutuahi hapū), Tiffin Stewart saw the potential of the site and in his report  to Government he recommended accepting the iwi’s offer of sale of land in the Manawatū.

Previously in 1857, he had mapped the Manawatū River and its tributaries from the sea to the gorge. In 1858, he was appointed assistant surveyor in the Land Purchase Department of the Government, tasked with defining native land boundaries.

From 1861 until 1863, as provincial engineer for Wellington, he surveyed roads in Wairarapa and around Castlepoint.

In 1864 Stewart took charge of the Wellington and Manawatū districts, with headquarters at Foxton. During the next four years he surveyed land purchased by the government in the Waitōtara and Manawatū areas, and supervised the subdivision of Palmerston North, Feilding, Halcombe and Rongotea.

A key element of his vision was for the settlements to be centred around a large square, which he visualised would one day become a landscaped garden area.  

Another important factor in his plan for the settlement was a link to the Wairarapa. In 1867, on a canoe journey through the Manawatū Gorge, he surveyed a road to connect Manawatū with Wairarapa. The Gorge road was constructed under his supervision between 1871-72.

Listed as one of the first 361 ratepayers in Palmerston North, he never actually resided in the settlement.

In 1870, Tiffin-Stewart was appointed to the role of District Engineer with the government's Public Works Department based in Foxton, and charged with the development of Taranaki, Whanganui and the Hawke's Bay districts.  In 1885, he relocated to Whanganui where he was quickly elected to the Whanganui Borough Council and, in the years that followed, served important roles in local government and the Whanganui River Trust, before his death in 1913.

Today his vision lives on in Te Marae o Hine, Palmerston North, and town squares in other Manawatū settlements.

[Manawatū Heritage, 2013N_Pi185_007413]

Genealogy Update

If you're new to genealogy and looking for direction,  the New Zealand Society of Genealogists (NZSG) have started running regular online genealogy information workshops.

The aim of the workshops is to help people find out what Family History involves without having to join a group or spend any money.

These FREE 60-minute introductory sessions will run twice monthly – on the first Tuesday at 10.00 am and the first Friday at 7.30 pm.

Numbers for each session are limited, registration can be completed online or by email.

Connect with us

Is there something you’d like to see in these newsletters? A question about the library? A suggestion? Let us know and we’ll see if we can help. You can email us at pncl@pncc.govt.nz, or use the phone number below.

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Palmerston North City Library
Palmerston North, Manawatu 4410
Phone: (06)3514100