Society History

Helensville & District Historical Society (Inc) was established on 27th May, 1968 at a meeting convened by Mr W. G. Russell, then Mayor of Helensville, and his wife Belle.

From the outset, preservation and promotion of South Kaipara’s history and heritage has been the Society’s guiding principle, faithfully adhered to by succeeding executive committees and progressively expanded.

Today, the Society’s assistance is sought regularly by overseas and New Zealand researchers in relation to the area’s rich history.

Our family history section is comprehensive in its coverage of pioneer families, supported wherever possible by the tape-recorded memories of older descendants.

The Society has a very comprehensive collection of over 10,000 photographs, including photos of all the schools in the area. Our in-house research facility has earned well-merited recognition from its peers and is updated continuously.

Descendants of those pioneer families support the Museum generously by outright donations or long-term loans of artefacts and memorabilia from by-gone days, entrusting us with their care so others may gain an insight to life in the early times of settlement in Helensville and its surrounding area.

A regular feature of our annual programme in is an ‘Open Day’ featuring specific places, people or activities which have enriched this region for well over a century and made it a place so many are proud to call it ‘home’.