Upcoming events in 2026
Lunchtime Lecture Series 2026
Join us at 12 midday for the first talks in our 2026 Lunchtime Lecture Series, hosted this year in the Art Deco Trust’s new home at the former Women’s Rest, Memorial Square, Napier.
Taking place in the Trust’s large theatre space, these relaxed 30-minute talks explore intriguing local subjects, from historic homes and transport routes to heritage plaques and the stories they help preserve.
Entry by gold coin donation.
June 17:
Our house: the history
By Mark and Barbara Cleary
Ben Lomond House is a landmark on the hill in Napier. What is now a very substantial building started life as a modest single-storey home in the late 1850s. As Edward William Knowles prospered in his grocery, wine and spirit business, major additions were made and, in keeping with its new status, Knowles and his wife Diana named the property “Nevada House”. That is the beginning of the amazing and varied history of this venerable house. Current owners Mark and Barbara Cleary will outline the rest of the story.
June 24:
The development of the Napier-Taupō Road: A picture history
By Denis Pilkington
In 2022 the speed limit on the Taupō Road was reduced because the road was said to be dangerous.
Who can remember what the road was like before the last round of major upgrading in the 1960s? If it is dangerous now, what was it like before that?
Denis will talk about the development of the road and how people have travelled this route during the course of its history.
July 1:
The Blue Plaques project
By Elizabeth Pishief
“A blue plaque is a permanent sign serving as a historical marker and installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, building or former building on the site.”
This project, initiated by Historic Places Aotearoa, has seen 41 plaques installed throughout New Zealand to date. We are about to install the first three in Hawke’s Bay.
This series of three talks will be followed by a further three in Hastings. Venues, topics and dates will be advised in the near future.