Contact Information
Contact can be made by visiting the Museum inside the Kawerau District Library or by using the details below:
Street Address: Jellicoe Court, Kawerau
Postal Address: P.O. Box 103, Kawerau, 3169
Phone: (07) 306 9041
E-mail: museum@kaweraudc.govt.nz
View the Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum location in a larger map.
Visiting The Museum
Visiting the Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum is free and can be accessed through the Kawerau District Library. If you would like to take a group through our museum gallery or view specific material, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Museum History
In 2000, a group of concerned Kawerau residents met in response to a growing concern that because of the changing direction of the Pulp and Paper Industry and its effect on the Kawerau township, the history of the establishment of the area was in danger of being lost to the present and future generations. Out of this meeting, the Kawerau Historical Museum Trust was established and they in turn created the Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum housed in the old Plunket Rooms which were later opened up into the Kawerau District Library. The goal was and still is to collect, preserve and communicate the history of the Kawerau community and surrounds. In 2008, the Trust requested the Kawerau District Council to take on the management of the Museum which happened 1 January 2009. In 2010, the Trust disbanded and the Kawerau District Council has continued to grow the service with the purchase of the Vernon museum management software (2011) and the building of a dedicated Council Archives and Museum Storage space at 16-18 Jellicoe Court (2017).
Naming Of The Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum
The Museum was named for Sir James Fletcher (1914-2007) who joined the family business, Fletcher Construction Company Limited in 1937. In 1953 construction of the Pulp and Paper Mill and the township of Kawerau began by a consortium company of Fletcher Construction Company Ltd. Auckland, Merritt Chapman and Scott New York, and Raymond Concrete Pile Company Delaware generally referred to as FMR. After the Government had accepted the tender from the Fletcher Group, the Tasman Pulp and Paper Company Limited was formed as a joint venture with the New Zealand Government. Sir James Fletcher was Chairman of the first Board of Directors.
Sir James Fletcher was knighted for his services to industry and the community in 1980. He was the Chairman of the Fletcher Trust since its inception. The Museum received valuable assistance from the Trust in the past and in recognition of the history of the Fletcher family and the community of Kawerau, the Museum Trust named the Museum in his honour.