Ashburton Aviation Museum

Ashburton Aviation Museum
Ashburton Aviation Museum logo
Coordinates43°54′17″S 171°48′20″E / 43.90472°S 171.80556°E / -43.90472; 171.80556
CollectionsMilitary and civilian aircraft
OwnerAshburton Aviation Museum Society Trust[1]
Websiteaviationmuseum.co.nz

The Ashburton Aviation Museum is located at Ashburton Aerodrome, a small airport 3.7 km (2.3 mi) to the east of Ashburton in the South Island of New Zealand.[2] There are two buildings housing a collection of around 40 aircraft. The museum is owned by the Ashburton Aviation Museum Society Trust.[1]

Ashburton has a significant aviation history because the town was used as a training base for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during World War II, with 50 Tiger Moths based at the airfield.[3][4]

Governance

The first meeting to establish the Ashburton Aviation Museum Society was held in 1974.[5] The Ashburton Aviation Museum Society was incorporated in June 1986, and registered as a charity in New Zealand in 2008.[6] In February 2016, the organisational model was changed and the Ashburton Aviation Museum Society Trust was registered as a Charitable Trust.[7]

The collection

The first aircraft obtained for the collection was a former RNZAF training Harvard purchased in 1978. The aircraft was initially stored in a farm shed while volunteers raised funds and worked on the construction of a hangar on a site at the Ashburton airfield. The hangar was opened in April 1991. While the museum has many military aircraft in its collection, it also presents a history of civil aviation in the Canterbury Region.[5]

The collection includes a former RNZAF Douglas Skyhawk,[8] and the only British Aerospace Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3 "Jump-jet" in the Southern Hemisphere.[9][10] Another aircraft in the collection is a de Havilland Vampire that recorded only a few flying hours with the RNZAF. It was recovered from a children's playground at the Cave Tavern and was restored over several years.[11] The museum is also home to the Southern DC3 Trust's historic Douglas DC-3 airliner ZK-AMY, retired in 2014.[12][13][14][15] The museum collection also includes many model aircraft.[16]

The museum had 4500 adults and 3300 children visit during the year April 2022 to March 2023.[16]

Awards

In 2022, at the ANZ Business of the Year Awards for Ashburton District Council, the museum won the Excellence in Tourism award, and received a Highly Commended award in the Excellence in Not-for Profit category.[17]

  • Exhibits
  • de Havilland DH.104 Devon
  • Ashburton Aviation Museum
  • North American AT6D Harvard MK2A - NZ1012
  • Gloster Meteor F.3 - NZ 6001
  • Percival Provost P56

References

  1. ^ a b "Ashburton Aviation Museum Society Trust". NZBN. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  2. ^ Wade, Pamela (17 June 2022). "World Famous in New Zealand: Ashburton Aviation Museum". Stuff. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Heritage Item 22: WWII Tarmac and Compass Rose, Ashburton Airport" (PDF). Ashburton District Council. 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  4. ^ Gee, David (31 May 1999). "When Tiger Moths toured the skies over Ashburton". The Press. p. 17. ProQuest 314272646.
  5. ^ a b Gee, David (16 January 1999). "Flying high in Ashburton". The Press. pp. WE.11. ProQuest 314158116.
  6. ^ "Ashburton Aviation Museum Society Incorporated". Charities Services. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Ashburton Aviation Museum Society Trust". Charities Services. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  8. ^ "New homes for warbirds". The Southland Times. 7 July 2011. p. 3. ProQuest 876127192.
  9. ^ "Jumping for joy". Dominion Post . 7 February 2005. p. A.3. ProQuest 338156782.
  10. ^ "Ski, soak and more: why mid-Canterbury should be your next winter holiday break". Stuff. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  11. ^ Ashley, Nick (27 June 2011). "Knights of the skies". The Press. p. ES.9. ProQuest 873776982.
  12. ^ Crean, Mike (9 October 2006). "McCaw reaches for sky". The Press. p. A.2. ProQuest 314751921.
  13. ^ Caldwell, Olivia (18 November 2011). "DC3 touches down". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  14. ^ Greenhill, Marc (25 February 2009). "Christchurch DC3 flights to continue after Wigram closes". The Press. p. A.6. ProQuest 314884535.
  15. ^ "Aircraft Photo of ZK-AMY | Douglas C-47A Skytrain | Southern DC3". AirHistory.net. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  16. ^ a b Williams, Toni (7 September 2023). "Model planes in museum collection". Ashburton Courier. Archived from the original on 14 February 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  17. ^ "ANZ Business of The Year Awards 2022 - Awards Winners". www.businessoftheyear.nz. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
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