Nelson Provincial Museum launches first online exhibition
IMAGE: NELSON COLLEGE RUGBY TOURNAMENT, 1936. NELSON PROVINCIAL MUSEUM, KINGSFORD COLLECTION_161329.
The Nelson Provincial Museum has launched its first online exhibition, Rugby 150 Years On, in response to access restrictions to the Museum during COVID-19 Alert Levels. The exhibition celebrates 150 years since New Zealand’s first rugby game was played in Nelson on 14 May 1870 and is presented in association with Nelson College Old Boys’ Association and Nelson Rugby Football Club.
Originally designed for display in the upstairs foyer of the Museum, the project was blindsided momentarily by the need to close the facility for New Zealand’s nationwide lockdown.
“We quickly identified this exhibition as a great candidate for online presentation and got cracking to transfer it over”, says Nelson Provincial Museum CEO Lucinda Blackley-Jimson, who credits the Museum team for their fast take-up of the new format. “In just over a month they were able to transform the exhibition into a widely accessible digital experience, which we think is in keeping with the agile nature of rugby”.
A strong thread in Rugby 150 Years On is in the game’s ability to adapt and diversify – not only its rules, but its cultural sentiments too. The exhibition highlights the growing support of women’s rugby, the early introduction of a Māori team, more recent developments for people with varied abilities, and New Zealand Rugby’s Rainbow Tick accreditation – the first amongst National Sporting Organisations.
From an international perspective Rugby 150 Years On reflects on the notorious Springbok Tour of 1981 and the associated challenges for Māori players in South Africa leading up to this time. Closer to home it celebrates Tasman Mako – the top of the South’s regional rugby team – being named 2019 Mitre 10 Cup Premiership winners. But perhaps most critically to Nelson Tasman locals, the exhibition’s key message lies in Nelson’s role in bringing rugby to New Zealand.
“It was here, in 1870, when the first game of rugby was played between Nelson College and the Nelson Rugby Football Club at the Botanical Gardens”, says Blackley-Jimson. “So it’s important for the Nelson Provincial Museum to be celebrating this Nelson first, and acknowledging the mark our region has made on New Zealand’s sporting landscape.”
With 2018 records listing 157,000 New Zealanders as registered rugby players, the inaugural game would appear to have initiated quite a legacy. Perhaps it is only fitting, then, that the anniversary should be celebrated so wholeheartedly by Nelson Tasman’s historical record keepers.
“The online exhibition format is an exciting first for us as it opens up a world of opportunity with regards to access”, says Blackley-Jimson. “People who might not have been able to make it into the Museum – COVID-19 restrictions or not – can enjoy this exhibition so easily from home. Essentially, we took up the challenge and we feel like we’ve scored on a penalty kick!”
Rugby 150 Years On is presented with thanks to the support of Nelson College Old Boys’ Association, Nelson Rugby Football Club, Blind Sport New Zealand Inc., Kevin Pivac (Founder NZ Deaf Rugby Union and International Deaf Rugby), Rāwā Karetai (Christchurch Heroes Co-Chair), Shuttersport.co.nz and Tasman Mako.
You can find Rugby 150 Years On at nelsonmuseum.co.nz/rugby150