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Lotteries funding supports rural heritage work at Puke Ariki

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PUBLISHED: 19 MAR 2026
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NPDC’s Puke Ariki is about to embark on a project to bring the stories of Ōpunakē and surrounding communities into the spotlight thanks to a grant from Te Tahua Taiao Ngā Taonga, the Lottery Environment and Heritage Fund.

The $200,000 grant will support the first year of a two-year project to catalogue and digitise the highly significant collection of 10,000 glass-plate negatives known as the ‘Feaver Collection’. 

These unique images of Ōpunakē and the surrounding rural areas span the period from the 1890s to the 1940s, when the Feaver family ran a chemist in the coastal town, which incorporated a photographic service.

“We are very grateful to the Lottery Environment and Heritage Fund for choosing to champion this rural heritage project, which will allow us to provide access to this unique photographic collection,” says Frith Williams, Puke Ariki Museum Director.

Williams says locals will gain rich insight into their collective past. The museum is also keen to hear from anyone who may know the names and stories of the people shown in the images.

The team are hoping to have dedicated section on the website for the images soon, but until then, people can explore Puke Ariki’s online collection to find images in the Feaver Collection.  If they have any feedback, information or names these can be made in the public comment section or email curators@npdc.govt.nz, attention Natasha McKinney, Pictorial Curator.

At a glance

  • Puke Ariki, meaning Hill of Chiefs, stands on a former prominent pā site in central New Plymouth.
  • It opened in 2003 as a combined library and museum—an innovative storehouse for Taranaki’s taonga and stories.
  • The museum presents both long-term and regularly changing exhibitions across six gallery spaces.
  • The central and community libraries offer many events designed to foster a love of reading, learning, and connection.
  • Puke Ariki also houses a research centre, restaurant and café, and the district’s Isite visitor information and ticketing hub.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  • The Lottery Environment and Heritage Fund supports projects that will benefit the community, hapū, and iwi, increase access to New Zealand's cultural heritage, and preserve and protect New Zealand’s natural environment and history for future generations.

Photo captions.

Above:  John Feaver in Feaver’s Chemist, Ōpunakē. GNF3096

Below: Studio portrait of two young Māori women and a young girl. The woman on the right has been identified as Mere Iwi Tahi Ratahi. GNF2942.

Walk-through milking shed, Ōpunakē area, 1910s. GNF408.

GNF408
GNF2942
2

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Page last updated: 08:45am Thu 19 March 2026

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