Mō mātou About us
The trust
Ōtaki Heritage – Te Whare Pouhere Taonga o Ōtaki is a charitable trust whose purpose is to preserve, protect and share the stories, taonga and history of Ōtaki. Our trustees are elected at the annual general meeting to provide governance, strategic direction and oversight of Ōtaki Heritage and Ōtaki Museum.
Our trustees are supported in their work by around 30 volunteers who ensure the heritage collection can be managed and the museum opened to visitors.
Our governance team:
- Chair
- Deputy chair
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Mana whenua trustee
- Community Board trustee
- Elected trustees
All our trustees are volunteers – we have no paid staff.
Our history
Ōtaki Heritage traces its origins to the Ōtaki Historical Society, established in 1977 to collect, record, and preserve the history of Ōtaki and the surrounding area.
In 1978, the society began publishing the annual Ōtaki Historical Journal, which continues today as an authoritative source of local and district‑wide stories. The journal and work of the society complemented the heritage efforts of individuals, whānau, and organisations associated with Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki, who were documenting and protecting mana whenua history.
In 2003, the Ōtaki Heritage Bank Preservation Trust was formed to preserve the old Bank of New Zealand building, which had been vacant since 1998 and was close to derelict. With support from Kāpiti Coast District Council, the Trust leased the building, restored it, and opened it as the Ōtaki Museum.
In 2023, recognising the strength of combining their efforts, the two organisations agreed to amalgamate. This merger created a more sustainable future, with a stronger pool of trustees and volunteers to support their shared mission of collecting, protecting, and providing access to Ōtaki’s past.
Ōtaki Heritage emerged from this agreement, honouring the legacies of both predecessor organisations by continuing to operate the museum and publish the Ōtaki Historical Journal.
Each October we present an annual report to Ōtaki residents.
Our building
Our home is the Ōtaki Museum which is housed in the former Bank of New Zealand building built in 1918, at a cost of £5,292. The front of the ground floor was the banking area, with the remainder of the building serving as the bank manager’s residence.
In 1965 the building was sold to the Ōtaki Borough Council, and in 1967 the front façade was removed to enable the street to be widened. Upstairs, the former residential area was modified to provide space for the Council Chambers. It served as the Council’s administrative centre until 1989, when Ōtaki was incorporated into the Kāpiti Coast District, and it became a service centre for the Kāpiti Coast District Council.
In 1998 the building was vacated, and remained vacant until 2003, when it was then leased to the Otaki Heritage Bank Preservation Trust, whose members restored the elegant staircase and timber panelling inside, and gave the building a new life as the Ōtaki Museum.
The Ōtaki Museum building has a heritage designation as a Category II Historic Place.
Ngā hoa me ngā kaitautoko Our partners and supporters
Our home in the historic former Bank of New Zealand building at 49 Main Street is leased from Kāpiti Coast District Council.
The Council also provides financial support by way of an annual grant that enables us to operate the Ōtaki Museum and contribute to the shared goal of developing and celebrating our vibrant district for those who live, work, and visit.
Discover Kāpiti Heritage is a collective of museums and historic sites across the Kāpiti Coast that meet regularly to promote local heritage to both the community and visitors.
Discover Kāpiti Heritage organises events such as the Kāpiti Heritage Clue Hunt on Wellington Anniversary Weekend and contributes to the Wellington Heritage Festival each October/November.
More information is available at www.kapitiheritage.org.nz.
Volunteer Kāpiti is a central point to connect volunteers and volunteer involving organisations on the Kāpiti Coast, it actively promotes, supports, and strengthens volunteering throughout the district.
We rely on volunteers to deliver our work and while people find out about us from a variety of sources, and join us for various reasons, it can be a struggle to get the numbers we need to survive.
More information on currently available volunteer roles
We are very grateful to all of our supporters. Our ambitions would have to be set significantly lower than they are, if their contributions to our work were not so generously made. Among our supporters some are key to our work because of the scale of the relative contribution they are able to make.
Tautoko mai Support us
At Ōtaki Heritage, we rely on the generous support of individuals and businesses to continue to provide quality exhibits and educational programming.
Make a donation
Donations of any size are greatly appreciated and will support our activities: preparing exhibitions, digital displays and journals, looking after our collections. They also help support our back room functions.
Contribute to our collection
We welcome contributions to our collection. If you have objects, documents, photographs or family records connected to Ōtaki’s history, our team can assess them for acquisition and long‑term care.
Become a supporter
Become a supporter today and join our mailing list to stay up to date on the latest news and events. You will also be invited to openings and special events.
Become a volunteer
We rely on volunteers to run the museum – there are no paid staff. We need people to help welcome visitors to the museum, to prepare exhibition and journal articles, support our digital and online services, look after our collection, to offer themselves for election to our Board of Trustees. Please contact us if you are interested.
He arawātea ki ngā kaiako me ngā ākonga Opportunities for teachers and students
The opportunities
Providing opportunities for teachers and students to use its repository of heritage resources, along with our interactive capabilities and workspaces to complement those they have at their schools. These resources are accessible at the Ōtaki Museum and online at its website.
All of these opportunities enable teachers and students to connect with the past and present, and to think about the future, through developing stories about Ōtaki and the local district, and their people and communities, that are aligned with current curricula.
Seizing the opportunities
Experience has shown that the opportunities that are available lie dormant unless they are seized, first by teachers, and then by students.
The best way to do this is to contact Ōtaki Heritage and arrange a meeting with the volunteers whose efforts are focused on engaging with schools to discuss how to seize the opportunities that wait there for Ōtaki Heritage, and teachers and students in Ōtaki, to take action.