'Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamura' 
'When you understand the past, you know your future'

About

Taonga Tauranga | Heritage Bay of Plenty Charitable Trust

We are the leading heritage voice in the community
towards establishing ​a Regional Heritage Centre and a National Museum
in Tauranga City, gateway to the stunning & historic Bay of Plenty

We are currently working towards developing our inaugural Heritage Bay of Plenty Heritage Strategy in conjunction with tangata whenua and the local and regional heritage community.  Our ultimate goal being to raise the BOP heritage profile throughout the Bay of Plenty and in turn nationally and to see the  establishment of a regional museum | heritage centre, ideally located at the heart of Tauranga's Historic Precinct (Otamataha Pā).  We are also supportive of a purpose built national heritage centre | exhibition space (opposite historic St Georges Anglican Church, Tauranga), to commemorate the Battles of Gate Pā, Te Ranga and the New Zealand Land Wars. 
 
Towards this end, we are now enjoying strong levels of community support and partnership from within the regional historic/heritage sector, the business sector interested in supporting heritage and relevant council departments. ​

Tauranga City is the major city of the Bay of Plenty Region and is also home to its successful economic port and tourist destination port.  For this reason, Tauranga is called 'The Gateway to Regional Bay of Plenty'.  Establishing a central museum | heritage portal to connect our regional stories along with a national museum to commemorate The Battle of Gate Pā and the NZ Land Wars here, makes perfect sense. 

Central museums/ heritage centres open up many exciting opportunities, including:

• mapping and connecting all the regional heritage centres / museums for visitors, locals and tourists, to encourage herigage visits to other centres
• being places of cultural significance for gathering, welcome and orientation
• telling the shared history and stories of our people and our region
• providing a contemporary, fun, informative experience for both locals and visitors
• providing stimulating education experiences for all cultures and age groups
• sharing knowledge of our taonga (treasures)
• providing a forum for innovative ideas about our future
• providing a showcase for local creative industries

 
We are currently putting on a range of experiences, including mini-exhibitions all of which is helping to grow community awareness for the need for these essential heritage focused amenities.  
 
From 2020 we will be opening opportunities to welcome as many interested persons as is possible to become 'Heritage Friends' with us under the banner of Taonga Tauranga | Heritage Bay of Plenty Charitable Trust with the view to having our 'Friends' working collectively and collaboratively with us and our already connected community groups and council friends, towards establishing the much needed regional heritage centre and national purpose built museum.  
 
 
Bruce Farthing (Chair) & The Trustees
Taonga Tauranga | Heritage Bay of Plenty Charitable Trust