Nelson Provincial Museum’s Rugby exhibition now on display

IMAGE: NELSON COLLEGE RUGBY TOURNAMENT, 1936. NELSON PROVINCIAL MUSEUM, KINGSFORD COLLECTION_161329.

Rugby 150 Years On – an exhibition originally launched online as a result of New Zealand’s nationwide lockdown – is now on display at the Nelson Provincial Museum.

Presented in association with Nelson College Old Boys’ Association, Nelson College and Nelson Rugby Football Club, the exhibition celebrates 150 years since New Zealand’s first rugby game was played in Nelson on 14 May 1870.

Originally designed for display in the upstairs foyer of the Museum, the project was reworked for online presentation in May this year in order to work around the closure of the facility during lockdown. The launch of the physical version offers Museum visitors an opportunity to see it as it was intended.

“The online exhibition was a real success for us”, says Nelson Provincial Museum CEO Lucinda Blackley-Jimson, “but we never wanted to let the dream of a physical exhibition go.”

For the Museum, the first exhibition launch post-lockdown indicates somewhat of a return to normal. “Where the online exhibition marked the anniversary of a significant event, the launch of the physical version marks a step back into the game!”

Rugby 150 Years On is now open as a physical display at the Nelson Provincial Museum, or you can enjoy the online experience at nelsonmuseum.co.nz/rugby150