The Collection

Ashburton Museum's substantial collection primirily relates to the Ashburton region.

The collection includes items that have been used by Ashburton families, items that have been used during events in the District and items that have formed part of the District's infrastructure and items that indicate the types of interests and activities Ashburton people have engaged in.

Our photo gallery gives an indication of the scope and diversity of the collection — there are a number of photos in the gallery so it may take a little while to load. Click here to view ....

Collection Policy

The collection is governed by aquisition and collection policies, to ensure that collected items are relevant to the history of the Ashburton District. We cannot take all donations but often refer donors to other organisations.

Aquisitions

While the museum pursues a policy of actively adding to its collection, financial constraints mean items are purchased only under exceptional circumstances.

The museum cannot accept items on any type of long-term loan. All items accepted for the collection must have clear title and that title must pass fully to the Museum. An exception to this policy will be made for Taonga Tuturu deposited with the Museum under the terms of the Protected Objects Act 1975.