Anderson Park Turns 100: Celebrating a Century of Community, Culture & Connection

28 Apr

**🎉 A Landmark Reaches Its Centenary**

In March 2026, Southlanders came together to celebrate a remarkable milestone — the **100‑year anniversary of Anderson House & Wharepuni o Anehana**, one of Invercargill’s most beloved heritage treasures.
Originally planned for October 2025, the celebration was postponed due to weather and woven instead into **Southland Heritage Month 2026**, bringing even more people into the festivities.
The centenary celebrations took place on Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th March, marking a full century since the Anderson family gifted the estate to the people of Invercargill.
**🌿 A Place Woven Into Southland’s Story**
For generations, Anderson Park has been a backdrop to countless Southland memories. Visitors over the decades would recall:
🧺 Picnics under the trees
💍 Weddings on the lawn
🍰 Devonshire tea on a Sunday afternoon ☕
🎨 Exploring the art gallery 🖼️
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family connections to the house
🚌 School trips and class visits
🌸 Garden walks and seasonal blooms
🎶 Musical performances or recitals 🎻
🌞 Quiet moments in the sunroom
📷 Photos, sketches, or stories passed down
These memories are not just sentimental — they form part of the living heritage of the estate.
**🏡 A House Built on Generosity**
Completed in 1925 for Sir Robert and Lady Anderson, the home was designed in the Georgian style and surrounded by expansive lawns, native bush, and carefully planned gardens.
In 1951, the Anderson family gifted the estate to the city — a gesture of extraordinary generosity that transformed the property into a public treasure.
Over the decades, Anderson Park became:
• 🖼️ **A public art gallery** showcasing local and national artists
• 🎭 **A community gathering place** for concerts, exhibitions, and celebrations
• 🌺 **A botanical haven**, with rhododendrons, camellias, and mature trees
• 🏯 **A cultural landmark**, home to *Wharepuni o Anehana*, a significant Māori structure relocated to the grounds
The centenary celebration honoured not only the house itself but the many layers of history, culture, and community that have shaped it.
**🍰 Celebrating With Stories, Food & Community**
Throughout the centenary weekend, Senga, Heritage South’s Heritage Projects Manager, and Rosie, Oral History & Content Digitisation Specialist with the Southland Oral History Project, were onsite to welcome visitors, gather memories, and share insights into the estate’s past.
In November 2025, Senga’s Stories and Mash Catering Ltd hosted a special ‘High Tea with History’, where guests enjoyed a sumptuous high tea while Senga shared captivating stories of:
• the iconic Anderson House
• the land it stands on
• the generous Anderson family
• the community who have loved and cared for it over the decades
This event added a warm, personal touch to the centenary season, blending storytelling, heritage, and hospitality.
**🌟 A Century Behind Us — and a Century Ahead**
As Anderson Park enters its second century, it remains a place where Southlanders gather, celebrate, reflect, and connect.
The centenary was not just a look back — it was a reminder of how deeply this place is woven into the region’s identity.
From picnics to art, from weddings to school trips, from quiet moments to grand celebrations, Anderson Park continues to be a cherished part of Southland’s story.

💛 Community Memories

A special thank you to Steve Broad for allowing us to share the image (above) he took during the Heritage Month event showing the memorial postcard. Steve kindly shared this memory:

“My fondest memories of Anderson House/Park were as a child. We lived out in Wrights Bush, so it was always lovely to pop in on our way home occasionally as a family to explore the gardens and feed the ducks. I have no doubt the gardens were an inspiration to my parents when they eventually developed the gardens at their home 'Beersheba' years later. We also enjoyed many church picnics on the grounds with the Wallacetown Church congregation.”