Southland Heritage Month 2025 ~ Highlights…
This reflection from Senga White, Heritage Projects Manager at Heritage South Trust, comes from her recent podcast episode celebrating the vibrant success of Southland Heritage Month, held in March 2025…
Southland Heritage Month has been held every March since 2013 and it seems that with every new year there are more events and activities offered throughout the province.
This has been my 5th Heritage Month - and the 2nd as coordinator.
What a month it has been! There’s been everything from natural history walks and tours around the region - to Art Exhibitions, Open Days and Stories from Southland korero. We also had options which had a more practical or hands on element to them - like the Archeology Lab run by Heritage Properties - and the making Tussie Mussies - a very popular workshop offered over the past few heritage months by the Southland Herb Society. Tussie Mussies - by the way - are small handheld flower bouquets - that in Victorian times were used to send coded messages to their recipients - as each flower or herb had a special meaning - though in medieval times they were used to ward off foul odors and illness RING A RING OF ROSES - A POCKET FULL OF POSIES
There was scarcely a day where there wasn’t something happening and some days there were several options to choose from. So I thought a good way of wrapping up the 2025 event was to share some thoughts and highlights from the month.
Opening Event - Community Sing…
We kicked off the month by coming together and raising our voices. We had a community sing in the historic and stunning First Church with our choral leader Sharon Taylor who had kindly stepped in with short notice. She put together a rousing and heart-lifting programme of old, well-known songs from both Māori and Celtic cultures - and there were a couple of unexpected ones like The Gumboot Song by Fred Dagg. One or two certainly brought a tear or two to the eye. What was lovely, was the chatter around the hall as we shared a cuppa and a cake before we got down to the serious business of singing and it set the scene for the month to come.
NZ Pipe Band Championships…
This was a special opportunity to be part of Clan Alley at this year’s event cos it was on during Heritage Month. We set up the Heritage South tent, with the Trustee taking shift to great visitors.
I met some fascinating people - including Isabelle the traditional kiltmaker.
Heritage in Motion: Conversations, Creativity, and Connection…
Speaking of fascinating people - one of my highlights was the people I met at all the events I attended. Lots of people came up and said hi. And it was great catching up with those I knew but also talking to so many new people. One of my favourites was Gay - who enthusiastically shared with me her favourite event from the month - and she had attended at least half a dozen with another half a dozen marked on the calendar that she couldn’t quite make it to.
Hands down - her highlight was Scott’s Discovery Hut - VR experience held at IPL.
The Antarctic Centre in ChCh brought it to Invercargill at the beginning of the month and while you might expect it to appeal to our younger generation - it was in fact the older generation who took up the challenge and for many it was their first VR experience. Gay said - bring it on! And bring more!
Team from Heritage NZ - Including Andrew Coleman their Chief Executive - who I interviewed in last week’s episode Heritage Buildings with Dr Susie Farminer
The connection between art and heritage is strong and this heritage month saw a range of great exhibitions and visual experiences. One that was very special to me was Anne-Marie Hamilton’s creative and interactive exhibition at the Cottage on Esk at SIT Creative Industries Centre - which was once the site of St Johns Church Sunday school. Everyone who saw Anne-Marie’s exhibition came away feeling they knew something they hadn’t before or saw something they thought they knew differently. And have her on hand to chat with, enhanced the whole experience.
We started the month with bringing people together and we finished the same way with Celebration Event at He Waka Tuia. Those working in the heritage sector are mostly volunteers and are often working away on their own in small groups so it was wonderful provide an opportunity to meet up together to acknowledge all their work throughout the year and the special efforts made in March.
Open Days - Southern Steam Trust, Templeton Flax Mill, Thornbury Rural Centre, Hokonui Pioneer Village. Waikaia Fashion Through the Ages.
‘My Highlights’…
My highlight is always the stories - as a story teller I love the Stories of Southland Korero - and obviously many of you agree with me!
We had great audiences: H&J Smiths, Pioneers and pioneer nurses
And I finished off with Tales of Queens Park and afternoon tea at 360…