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The Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum

The Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum is accessed through the Kawerau Library, Jellicoe Court and can be visited during Library opening hours. As of 1 January 2009, the Kawerau District Council took on the management of the Museum. The Museum has accumulated considerable donated historic memorabilia and photographic material which needs to be preserved, correctly catalogued, and displayed to the public in a professional manner. Contact for the Museum can be made by email to museum@kaweraudc.govt.nz or by phone to:

Irene Sandle
Museum Curator
Ph 07 306 9041

Previous to this, the Museum was managed and run by the Kawerau Historical Museum Trust which disbanded in 2010. The Trust was established in 2000 by a group of concerned residents in response to a growing concern that because of the changing direction of the Pulp and Paper Industry and its effect on the Kawerau township, the history of the establishment of the area was in danger of being lost to the present and future generations.

Kete Kawerau

The Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum supports the website Kete Kawerau which collects the stories and images of Kawerau. Visitors can view and use Kete Kawerau at the Kawerau District Library or go online at http://ketekawerau.peoplesnetworknz.info/ to add your own material. Kete Kawerau has been created to capture and preserve the historical and current memories, stories, and activities of the Kawerau community and we need you to share your stories and images, past and present. This site was launched September 2010.

Current Displays

As the World Rugby Cup is in action, we thought it would be a good time to look at the history of our three rugby clubs along with some great memorabilia such as a 1950s NZ Barbarians jersey. We also feature in our early residents section Maori All Black Monita (Mo) Delamere and retailer Keith McKenzie. The first houses to be occupied in Kawerau were Fitzroy and part of Hobson and Fenton streets and we are showing off some of the stories of those first residents. The Kawerau Bowling Club was another of the early clubs to get up and going in the community (1955) and we feature an overview of their early history. For the industrial minded, we are displaying photos and the history of the No. 1 Paper Machine (1955-2006) and the Murupara-Mount Maunganui rail link from construction to today. It will also be 25 years next March since the Eastern Bay experienced the Bay Of Plenty Earthquake and we have some new photos on display plus a copy of a scrapbook from Pam Jackson filled with news clippings of the time. Finally on Kete Kawerau (http://ketekawerau.peoplesnetworknz.info/) we are asking people to add any photos or memories relating to Kawerau school history.There are also displays featuring overviews of our community and industrial history plus permanent items such as our mercury arc rectifier and wooden patterns.

Naming Of The Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum

The Museum was named for Sir James Fletcher (1914-2007) who joined the family business, Fletcher Construction Company Limited in 1937. In 1953 construction of the Pulp and Paper Mill and the township of Kawerau began by a consortium company of Fletcher Construction Company Ltd. Auckland, Merritt Chapman and Scott New York, and Raymond Concrete Pile Company Delaware generally referred to as FMR. After the Government had accepted the tender from the Fletcher Group, the Tasman Pulp and Paper Company Limited was formed as a joint venture with the New Zealand Government. Sir James Fletcher was Chairman of the first Board of Directors.

Sir James Fletcher was knighted for his services to industry and the community in 1980. He was the Chairman of the Fletcher Trust since its inception. The Museum has received valuable assistance from the Trust over the past few years and in recognition of the history of the Fletcher family and the community of Kawerau, the Museum Trust named the Museum in his honour.