The Howick and Districts Historical Society Incorporated (Society; HDHS) is the owner and operator of Howick Historical Village.
HDHS is an incorporated Society with a membership of approximately 260 and is managed by a Board that meets monthly.
Much of the energy of active Society members is poured into the Historical Village and care of its collections. Ongoing research is also undertaken by some members.
A benefit of being a Society Member is receiving the newsletter. This is published bi-monthly and has featured researched stories of the lives of life members, histories, and research into the provenance of items within the collection. The interviews form an ongoing collection of social history, recording the lives of people currently living within Howick, Pakuranga and surrounding districts.
The Howick & Districts Historical Society
The Society’s Mission
To collect, preserve and record for the benefit of the citizens of Howick and its environs all matters of historical interest
To encourage public appreciation of places and things of general historical interest
To acquire suitable housing for such historical material
To record the results of historical research and publish this material
Board Members
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John Osborne
President
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Kathy Kennedy
Vice President
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Peter Farnon
Treasurer
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Maja Heiniger
Secretary
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Marin Burgess
Heritage Advisor
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Ian Gibson
Board Member
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Malcolm Pascoe
Board Member
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Steve Udy
Board Member
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Vinson Yu
Board Member
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Lexie Palmer-Gapper
General Manager, Howick Historical Village
Introducing John Osborne, HDHS President
On the first of October, I was honoured to become President of The Howick & Districts Historical Society. As a resident of Howick for over 50 years and having raised a family of four girls with my wife Dorothy, I have always had an involvement in local Howick voluntary organisations, - kindergarten, school, guides, Jaycees, Rotary & Church committees and the management of construction projects involving them. Over recent years I have dedicated my time to this Society and the management of The Howick Historical Village and Hawthorn Dene.
Venues
In addition to the collection of buildings making up the Howick Historical Village, the HDHS owns two historic buildings and the land they rest on, plus one historic building on Council-owned land overlooking the Historical Village.
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Built in 1851, this home was originally the dwelling of Captain C.H. Montressor Smith, commanding officer of the Howick Fencibles, before being sold to settler farmers – first Robert King in 1856, then Alexander Bell in 1868. It was moved to its present site by Alexander Bell in 1885. The Bell family had bought surrounding farmland in 1868, and continued to own and farm that land until the 1970s. The Bell story is an interesting one and relevant to the social history of the area. The provenance document of Bell House and the farm is available in the Society library.
In 1989, New Zealand Historic Places Trust listed Bell House as a Category 1 listed building.
For much of the last 30 years, Bell House has been rented and used as a restaurant. In 2008 it was damaged by fire and has since been restored. It is currently available for hire for conferences, exhibitions, meetings, weddings, and similar events.
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This is a 2.7-hectare property with a delightful 1855 farmhouse on the original site and is situated on Botany Road. It was left to the Howick and Districts Historical Society by the Rev Robert Hattaway in 1992.
Robert Hattaway was the fourth generation of the settler Hattaway family to farm Hawthorn Dene, and it was his wish that the property be used for “preservation, as near as possible in its existing condition, as a memorial to the pioneer settlers of Howick, Pakuranga, and East Tamaki.”
The homestead is currently leased as a cafe and is enhanced by its rural setting within its suburban surroundings. It has a Category 2 listing with New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
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Originally built in 1848 for Captain C.H. Montressor Smith, it was sold soon after to the Anglican Church and became the home of Howick’s first resident vicar, the Rev Vicessimus Lush from 1850-1863.
In 1975, when the Anglican Church decided to build a new vicarage, the old house was moved to a site next to Bell House, where it was renovated by members of the Society.
Overlooking the Howick Historical Village, it provides a gracious backdrop and is currently in a restoration phase.