MEDIA RELEASE : 9 October 2006
Thousands of school kids win a trip to Hutt City museums
A new integrated approach between Hutt City’s two museums will see thousands of school children enjoying creative
explorations of technology, art and social studies over the next three years.
The Dowse and the Petone Settlers Museum have worked together to win funding from the Ministry of Education for 24,000
students to attend learning programmes at the two museums.
These exciting and innovative education programmes will be funded through the Ministry’s Learning Experiences Outside
the Classroom project under the Technology, Science and Maths round. In a first for the Ministry, this joint funding
could see classes visiting both museums and local businesses in the community on the same day, spanning several
curriculum areas and reflecting the museums’ connection with creativity, industry and the art of daily life. In addition
to these core subjects the museums will also offer learning experiences in art and social studies.
‘It’s exciting because by working together we can offer children programmes that inspire them about technology,
creativity and innovation,’ says Hutt City Museums director Tim Walker. ‘Students will be able to come to the Hutt City
museums and see how technology relates and impacts on their own lives through things like sports, movies, the houses
they live in and natural environments such as the beaches they play on.”
Trips might involve a visit to a Hutt engineering company to see technology in action, finding out about other
innovative products developed and manufactured in the Hutt at the Petone Settlers Museum, followed by a visit to The
Dowse to see some of the designs on display.
Or children might investigate the work of a contemporary jeweller at The Dowse then go down to the beach to collect
found objects and create their own jewellery at the Petone Settlers Museum.
‘With The Dowse’s emphasis on design and the applied arts, children can learn about technology and innovation in the
context of their own community,’ says director Tim Walker.
"Programmes at the Petone Settlers Museum explore stories of arrivals to the Hutt Valley and Wellington, from the early
settlers to contemporary stories of our increasingly diverse community, providing an important social context to the
learning experience."
The trips will be free to schools, with the option of extras such as workshops and industry visits, and will run over
three years.
The Petone Settlers Museum is operating its learning programme now, and The new Dowse reopens on 17 February 2007.
Together, they will employ two educators. Information about the 2007 programme will be sent directly to schools, or
teachers can contact the museums themselves.
ENDS