Established in 1952, the Tauranga Historical Society are kaitiakitanga (hold guardianship and protection over) of Brain-Watkins House Museum (Est. 1881). We serve all the people of the Western Bay of Plenty by creating powerful engagement with our bicultural heritage in order to cultivate curiosity and foster a more inclusive, empathetic, and informed society. Our underlying pillars are Preservation, Interpretation and Participation in our natural, cultural, and built heritage to preserve our past, engage our present, and protect our future.
The Tauranga Historical Society Committee work with our Treaty partners in the spirit of partnership, protection and participation, the enduring principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi, our founding document signed in Tauranga in 1840. The committee from 19 March 2023 to 4 December 2023 were:
- President: Debbie McCauley
- Ngāi Tamarāwaho Rep: Buddy Mikaere
- Vice-President: Meg Jones
- Treasurer: Diane Bain
- Secretary: Erin Nicholson
- Committee: Bruce Brown
- Committee: Loretta Crawford
- Committee: Joseph McAuley
- Committee: Sophie McCauley
- Past-President: Beth Bowden
Tauranga Historical Society Inc. was incorporated under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 on the 20th day of June 1962. We are a non-profit Registered Charity (Reg No. CC26888) and our New Zealand Business Number is 9429042846369. Donations are welcome, our bank account number is SBS 03 1355 0660053 00.
We value our role of kaitiakitanga and custodians of Brain-Watkins House Museum as a memorial to Joseph and Kate Brain (née Bishop), a responsibility and unique opportunity we were entrusted with by their daughter, Elva Brain-Watkins (1891-1979), who was born in the family home and who also died there. A codicil to her will dated 27 February 1979 states; “UPON TRUST as to the dwelling house and land owned by me at the date of this my will situate at Cameron Road, Tauranga and being Lot 147 of Section 1 Tauranga Town containing 1062m2 and also being Lot 3 on Deposited Plan S. 4218 containing 668m2 and as to all plate plated goods linen china glass books prints pictures furniture and other articles of household use or ornament owned by me at the death situate in upon or about the abovementioned dwelling house and land for THE TAURANGA HISTORIC SOCIETY INCORPORATED AND EXPRESS THE WISH AND DESIRE but without creating a binding trust thereby that the said dwelling house and land be retained intact as a memorial to my parents.”
A house museum is a touchstone to the past – a place that acknowledges and celebrates the events of everyday life, with the potential to connect the past and present through objects, stories, and emotions. They are a place of warmth where real people lived and breathed, ate, and slept, drank too much, had sex, gave birth, raised children and died, where they fought, debated and disagreed with each other – in short, all of the things that happen in a home today. Within Aotearoa New Zealand’s built environment there are only seven single-family homes with original contents that have survived into house museums:
- Kemp House (Est. 1822), Kerikeri
- The Elms (Est. 1838), Tauranga
- Alberton (Est. 1863), Mount Albert, Auckland
- Ewelme (Est. 1864), Parnell, Auckland
- Clendon House (Est. c. 1868), Rawene
- Brain-Watkins (Est. 1891), Tauranga
- Olveston (Est. 1906), Dunedin
Why support Brain-Watkins House Museum?
The site tells the story of the Brain whānau (family), their home and collections in the wider context of the fledgling township of Tauranga from the years 1881 to 1979. We rely on the generosity of our supporters to ensure that Brain-Watkins House Museum and the collections, which total 2,987 items, remain for visitors both in person and virtually to learn, enjoy and be inspired by.
Our committee are all volunteers who give generously of their time and expertise. As a charity we must raise $25,000 for basic costs every year (excluding house and collection maintenance and event costs), and we rely on the generosity of individuals, trusts and foundations and companies. Please consider supporting us to secure Brain-Watkins legacy for future generations.
By making a donation you support our work educating and inspiring our visitors and caring for the Museum. Your gift, whatever its size, makes a real difference and is gratefully received. Thank you so much for choosing to help the Museum. It is only through the generosity of donors like you that we can continue our work.
What is your donation used for?
Your support, however large or small, will help us to:
- Conserve our building and collections ensuring their preservation for generations to come
- Continue to inspire by providing opportunities for people of all ages and walks of life to visit the House Museum and learn through our developing education and exhibitions programmes
- Enhance understanding of our collections, built heritage and the township of Tauranga through research
- Keep our doors open to members of the public
How Legacy gifts impact Brain-Watkins House Museum
Bequest of Allan Silas Jenkins (1932-2013)
Allan Silas Jenkins was born on 29 June 1932 to Edmund Allen Jenkins and Henrietta Rubina Jenkins (née Hoffmann) who had married at Hokitika in 1931 where Allan would grow up. While at university, Allan stared a music appreciation group and his fondness of classical music would continue throughout his life. He worked as a public servant in Wellington and had a great interest in history. When Allan retired to Mount Maunganui, he lived in his parents home at 46 Pītau Road. He joined the Tauranga Historical Society, the U3A and the Sixteenth Avenue Theatre. A strong swimmer, Allan went for an ocean swim each night. Sadly, 81-year-old Allan did not return from his swim on 25 September 2013, his body found washed up in Pilot Bay the next morning and his car still parked near Salisbury Wharf. The Allan Silas Jenkins Charitable Trust (Reg No. CLI00489353) is administered by the Public Trust and was set up to pay an income in perpetuity which is shared amongst three entities, the Tauranga Historical Society, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Foundation, and the Waipuna Hospice. The bequest of around $6,000 per year is for the charitable purposes of Tauranga Historical Society, with the wish of Allan Jenkins that the funds are put toward the cost of maintaining the Brain-Watkins House Museum.
Bequest of Rosa Lynette Harpham (née Christian) (1919-2011)
Lyn Harpham was a member of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust for nearly 25 years and was a life member of the Tauranga Historical Society. She was a fount of knowledge about Tauranga and the Brain family and when she died in April 2011 at the age of 91 she provided heritage legacies in her estate through bequests to local heritage organisations. Her bequest to the Tauranga Historical Society was used to create the Lyn Harpham History Room at Brain-Watkins House Museum, which was officially opened on Sunday 4 November 2012.
Bequest of Heather Yvonne McLean (née Milne) (1937-2019)
Genealogist and researcher Heather McLean was born in Tauranga and lived in Tauranga for most of her life. Heather’s bequest to the Tauranga Historical Society in 2019 was used to engage paintings conservator Angela Ruegger of The Conservation Workshop to clean and conserve two oleographs within the collection. Oleography, also known as chromolithography
, is a skilled printing process that combines lithography and oil painting techniques and which was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Multiple lithographic plates, each inked with its own oil-based colour, were pressed onto paper or canvas in a precise order. The prints were often made to imitate the appearance of an oil painting by adding a varnish or oil-based finish to the surface. Varnishing added texture and depth to the oleograph, and also protected it from wear and tear. The final prints are colourful and detailed such as the ones at Brain-Watkins House Museum, which date from c. 1874 and are enhanced by their gilt frames.
Brain-Watkins House Museum (Est. 1881) 