Howick Historical Village is a re-creation of a New Zealand colonial village using houses and cottages saved from the surrounding Auckland suburb of Howick.
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Governor George Grey was concerned that the French could move down to New Zealand from where they were already established in New Caledonia and Tahiti by 1845. At the same time the Maori chief Hone Heke was causing unrest with new settlers in the north of New Zealand. He cut down the flagpole at Kororareka flying the British flag five times in succession to make the point that the British settlers were not welcome.
The sacking of Kororareka (now known as Russell) caused Governor George Grey to write to Earl Grey back in England in 1846, asking for assistance in protecting the fledgling settlement in Auckland. At this time, Auckland was a collection of wooden buildings near the waterfront and had only just been made the capital of New Zealand. Russell (Okiato) was the first capital, Auckland was capital from 1841 to 1865, and Wellington from then on.
The decision was made to send out retired and worn-out British soldiers who had returned from fighting in Afghanistan, India, Malta and elsewhere in the British Empire. They had served up to 20 years overseas, and were invited to form an army corps to be known as the Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps, meaning they were a form of defensive force to protect Auckland should it ever be attacked.
The conditions of engagement offered these men were that they were allowed to bring their wives and children, and it became the biggest immigration programme of its day (approximately 2,500 men women and children settled in Panmure, Otahuhu, Onehunga and Howick). They arrived here between 1847 to 1852, in ten sailing ships. Most voyages took about 3 to 4 months. Conditions on board were usually very good for the time, but one particular ship, the Clifton, was termed the Ship of Sorrows because 46 people died during the voyage (mainly children coming from the Irish potato famine).
Most of the ships departed from Gravesend, in England, and over half of the Fencible families were Irish in origin. Panmure was the biggest Irish settlement.
The Fencible soldiers were generally offered free passage to New Zealand and for many, a two-roomed cottage and an acre of land, in return for a seven year term of service. They were encouraged to take on other employment, as their main obligation was to attend military parades every Sunday. They were also offered work for a year on public work schemes, like road and bridge building. They were only called out on military duty once, in April 1851.
When the first four boats arrived, no cottages ready. Instead, the new arrivals were assigned to tents, raupo cottages, or on Howick Beach, two long sheds (one for the men, the other for women and children). Privates generally had paired “Siamese” cottages, sergeants had single dwellings, and officers had bigger houses (Captain Smith’s house, Bell House, can be seen behind Sergeant Ford’s).
After seven years, Fencibles were released from service and the cottages and an acre of land became theirs absolutely. They could also buy extra land at a very good price. Only three ever returned to Europe. Financially the Fencible immigration scheme was very successful.
In 1962, the Howick and Districts Historical Society was formed by a group of enthusiasts wanting to preserve Howick’s history. They began collecting historical material from the area, and in time, were offered buildings from the Fencible period. The Bell family offered Bell House, located in its present position, to the Society in 1972. Alan la Roche negotiated with Lloyd Elsmore, the mayor at the time, and the Society was offered five acres next to Bell House (this was later extended to a total of 7 acres). This became the site of the Howick Historical Village.
It took eight years to develop the area into a living museum, using volunteer labour and working bees in the weekends. A plan was drawn up, letters sent to owners of Fencible cottages, and over that period of time many cottages were offered to the Society. They were transported to their new home and restored to represent the Fencible period. The funding for the re-siting of buildings and their restoration largely came initially from the sale of Christmas cards and from cake stalls. There was a lot of local support for the fund raising initiatives that led to the development of the site.
John Litten used his farm tractor to develop the roads and drains, and the Manukau City Council dug out the pond. The last Manukau mayor, Len Brown, was one of the young volunteers who helped develop the Village in its early days.
On 8 March 1980, the Howick Colonial Village (as it was then called) was officially opened by Allan Highet, Minister of Internal Affairs, on behalf of Governor-General Sir Keith Holyoake, who was unwell on the day. A cloud of caged pigeons was released before a large crowd, who then inspected the fourteen buildings that comprised the museum.
At that time there was only one oak tree on the site and the rest of the planting has been carried out subsequently. The gardens have become an extensive heritage project, led by a restoration ecologist, with close links to the Heritage Tree Crops Association and Auckland Seed Savers. Many of the trees come from the sites of historic homes in the area.
The first director of the museum was Alan la Roche. The staffing has grown since the early days, but the Village still[update] operates with a huge amount of support from volunteers.
There are now[update] thirty buildings that comprise the museum and the site has reached maturity and its full capacity. The challenge for the future will be to retain the buildings in good and authentic condition for future generations.
The Village is open to the public every day of the year (except Christmas Day, New Year's Day, ANZAC day, and Good Friday) from 10am-4pm. On the third Sunday of each month (excluding December) Live Days are held, in which the Village comes to life with many costumed volunteers re-enacting daily life in Victorian New Zealand times. There is an admission fee, parking is free, and a cafe is on-site.
The Village is a popular destination for school groups on their LEOTC studies. School holiday programmes are offered once or twice in each holiday period.
The little church is used most weekends for weddings or naming ceremonies, and the surrounding grounds (including Victorian period gardens, wagon, and 30 historic buildings) make the perfect backdrop for unique wedding, family photography or promotional photography.