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Blackball Museum of Working Class History

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Coordinates: 42°21′51.6″S 171°24′47.5″E / 42.364333°S 171.413194°E / -42.364333; 171.413194
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Mahi Tupuna – Blackball Museum of Working Class History
Map
Established1 May 2010 (2010-05-01)
Location26 Hart Street
Blackball, New Zealand
Coordinates42°21′51.6″S 171°24′47.5″E / 42.364333°S 171.413194°E / -42.364333; 171.413194
TypeSocial history
Websitewww.blackballmuseum.org.nz

Blackball Museum of Working Class History (Mahi Tupuna) is a museum in Blackball, a small town on the West Coast of New Zealand,[1][2] that opened in May 2010. The collection celebrates the role of working people in creating the nation and its wealth.[3]

History

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The Blackball Museum of Working Class History Charitable Trust received funding in 2002 from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board, the Blackball Residents' Association and the West Coast Development Trust to investigate the feasibility of a museum.[4][5] The feasibility study was launched in 2003.[6] While the project was under development, the trust engaged in historical work such as recording oral histories of local residents.[7] In February 2010, the museum sponsored a memorial to the 1908 coal miners' strike.[8] The museum opened on May Day (International Workers' Day; 1 May) 2010.[9]

Collection

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The museum's exhibits describe the 1908 miners' strike, which led to the formation of a federation of miners, which became the Federation of Labour in 1909. There is a permanent exhibition on Blackball’s coal mining history and a changing exhibition on an issue related to the area, or on a political issue. The museum also includes a memorial wheel dedicated to those who have died at work in New Zealand, with a special section for the 29 miners who died in the Pike River Mine disaster of 19 November 2010.[1][2] The memorial is the site of an annual ceremony to commemorate the disaster.[10] The museum also hosts an annual Mayday Ceremony and forum.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Blackball Museum of Working Class History (Mahi Tūpuna) | Blackball, New Zealand Attractions". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Who we are". blackball museum (mahi tupuna). 29 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Blackball". West Coast New Zealand. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Blackball Museum of Working Class History" (Press release). West Coast Development Trust. 12 December 2002. Retrieved 12 September 2020 – via Scoop News.
  5. ^ "Blackball support". The Press. 16 December 2002. ProQuest 314491131.
  6. ^ Maunder, Paul (2003). "Mahi Tupuna: the Blackball Museum of Working Class History". Red & Green. 2: 145–151. ISSN 1176-1482.
  7. ^ "Lottery money protects New Zealand's environment and heritage". www.dia.govt.nz. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  8. ^ Brown, Giles (16 February 2010). "Sculpture to 1908 strike erected". The Press. ProQuest 314996991.
  9. ^ Nathan, Simon (10 June 2010). "The West Coast's sesqui". Te Ara: Signposts. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Sarah-Jane (20 November 2014). "Blackball marks anniversary of mine tragedy". The Press.
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