Museum handover now official

March 19, 1970 saw the first meeting of the Mangawhai Heritage Society was convened. In 1986 funding for a new concrete block building was granted from the Endowment Fund and officially opened in 1987. In 1989 the Louis Wintle extension was added with the Te Arai Library building shifted to the site in 1991.

Over time it has seen a large number of visitors and with the gradual gathering of historical records and artifacts has outgrown the space, leading to the building of the new museum now standing loud and proud as a single entity on its Molesworth Drive site.

Recently a ceremony was held for an official handover of the old Mangawhai Museum to the Library Hall Committee. The event was attended by the Library Hall Committee, Historical Society members and Museum representatives (pictured).

The building has done sterling duty for the community in the past and will now become home to the flourishing Mangawhai artists group while also being available for other community activities.