Wahine wheel installed at Wellington Museum to mark 57th anniversary 

Wellington Harbour Board and other vessels raced to assist as soon as possible. The wind and mountainous sea were extremely difficult to navigate, and visibility was very low.

One rescuer was seafarer Terry Stuart, who is thought to have volunteered in the search for survivors on the tug Taioma.

He and his crewmates rescued 26 passengers from the water before heading back to safety. While leaning over the tugboat to grab a survivor Stuart was injured himself, breaking his ribs. Along with several passengers and another crew member, he was hospitalised from injuries.

In the weeks after the disaster, Stuart collected the main wheel of the Wahine while the ship’s salvage operation was under way. He intended to donate the wheel to Wellington Museum for many years, as this is where he felt it belonged. After his passing in 2022, his family followed through with his wishes.

Many years after the disaster a friend of Stuart’s spoke with Kenny MacLeod, helmsman at the wheel of the Wahine when the ship struck Barrett Reef. MacLeod said his last recollection was lying on the deck holding onto the bottom of the main ship’s wheel to prevent being swept across the bridge.

By the next day an eerie calm had returned to Wellington Harbour. The Wahine lay off Seatoun for four years during her salvage operation, a harrowing and constant reminder to Wellingtonians of this disastrous day in 1968.

Ian also spoke with Jesse Mulligan on RNZ on 9 April about the significance of the wheel and the lasting impact of the Wahine disaster. You can listen to the interview below.

William Baker had no formal art training. He apprenticed as an upholsterer, working for Wellington cabinetmaker Joseph Martin. It was Joseph Martin who discovered Baker’s artistic talent while having him decorate cabinetry panels. By the late 1880s Baker had left the upholstery trade behind to work as a commercial artist. He remained a close friend of the Martin family – often going on outings to paint with Joseph’s son Charles. It is through Martin family descendants, Heather Keith and Peter Martin, that many of our Baker paintings and objects have been donated.

Contemporary art critics in the late 19^th and early 20^th century argued that Baker’s works were stylised and romanticised, not reflecting the true nature of New Zealand’s landscapes. They were right. Baker would often paint landscapes showing idealised scenes, with stagecoaches, flights of birds or small boats added – not always to scale. Baker would add, remove or rearrange features like rocks or trees to produce the idyllic scene he was after.

One critic, writing in the Evening Post on 11 September 1897 felt, “The trail of the commonplace is over most of the pictures of W.G. Baker.”

Despite this and other criticism, Baker’s art was hugely popular with everyday New Zealanders. In 1911 an exhibition of his work in Wellington was reported to have attracted 100,000 visitors.

Praising Baker as an ‘apostle of brightness’ an article in the Evening Post on 22 August 1908 proclaimed, “The artist has travelled far for his subjects, and has induced the hills and dales, the country roads, and the trees to faithfully give a message of good-will for man.”

It should be mentioned that these words may well have been written by Baker’s canny art dealer John Schapiro and spliced anonymously into the article. Schapiro was a shrewd marketer, providing purple prose promoting Baker’s art to newspapers throughout the country, to coincide with its sale in small town hotels and clubrooms.

Be that as it may, Baker was popular and extremely prolific. In December 1911 he sold an entire exhibition of 101 paintings. Six months later he exhibited 93 more for sale. That’s a production rate of around one painting every three days. According to Heather Keith, Baker even framed many of his own picture frames.

Baker was ignored by the art establishment because of the commercial nature and popular appeal of his work. He doesn’t seem to have cared. He carried on regardless. He managed to raise and support a family from his work, while sharing his creative enthusiasm with friends and his children.

Baker painted many of his artworks in the field, in hard-to-reach locations the length of the country. One of our recently acquired paintings is a watercolour Near Sinclair Heads, Wellington, probably painted around 1903. This scene looks from Sinclair Head toward Taputeranga island along the south coast and shows a wild landscape long before it became the playground of 4WD vehicles.

William Baker made art for sale. He knew what his audience liked and painted what they wanted. He raised a family from his work and gave a vision of New Zealand landscapes to the sitting room walls of everyday homes. He may have romanticised these landscapes but through them showed a genuine love for this country. One which he was happy to share.

A number of young designers from Wellington Polytechnic passed through their studio and workshop. Leod Hais clothing was always a collaboration, with input from designers, sales staff and customers. Peter and Lesley were also able to draw on a network of established Wellington clothing industry allies like suit-makers, and small, cut, make and trim manufacturers.

They started a wholesale operation selling to well known shops in Auckland, Hamilton and Dunedin. This lasted hardly a year as costs of financing this, together with slow payments, made it too difficult and detracted from their own business.

Women’s wear was soon added, quickly becoming half their business with many women still having a Leod Hais blouse or a dress in their wardrobe today.

Lesley recalls that Wellington’s main shopping district had a special vibe in the 1980s. Late night shopping only happened on Fridays. This saw young revellers dropping in to Leod Hais while making their way from work on Lambton Quay to the pubs, clubs and restaurants of Te Aro and Courtenay Place.

Leod Hais became well known for making a quality classic product that outlasted seasons – good textiles, with inventive finishing. Within a few years they expanded to stores in Auckland and Christchurch.

Peter and Lesley were fortunate to have some great characters managing and selling in their stores. These staff did their best to make a scene for a community whose fashion and lifestyle gaze looked towards London, New York, Melbourne, Sydney and Los Angeles.

Sourcing fabric was their biggest challenge, as international travel was very expensive in the 1980s so they had to be inventive with the fabrics they could find. These might be end-runs from major clothing manufacturers in Europe, imported by New Zealand-based wholesalers, or they might import fabrics themselves, directly from Germany.

Running a small scale, low-capital business was always a seat-of-the-pants operation, but their small clothing runs lent Leod Hais the air of a bespoke clothing maker, rather than a store selling racks of the same garment in the same fabric.

By the late 1980s, the removal of import tariffs and sales taxes saw a flood of cheap goods imported to New Zealand. The younger end of their target age group was also now looking for more casual, lower-priced clothes, and soon Rip Curl, Billabong and others came to New Zealand offering a style of clothing that Peter and Lesley were not interested in making.

These factors combined to affect boutique retail manufacturers like Leod Hais, which closed its doors in 1995.

The Leod Hais garments that Wellington Museum has acquired, show fascinating innovation and quality have stood the test of time. These garments are a testament to the high-quality fabrics, manufacture, and attention to detail for which those involved with Leod Hais can be justifiably proud.

Te Waka Huia o Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho Wellington Museum shares the stories of the people of Pōneke. We actively collect and preserve historic and contemporary objects for our current audiences and future generations. To ensure we continue to bring vibrancy to our city, we will be introducing an admission fee for international visitors. 

As a charity we rely on the generosity of our funders, donors and the dedication of our teams and supporters to keep Pōneke stories alive. Funding is crucial to enable us to continue to share our city’s stories, people and history, adding to the vibrancy of Pōneke and showcasing to Aotearoa, and the world, what makes this city so unique and loved.   

We continue to balance the commitment to maintain quality and maximise access to our experiences. The museum is accessible for all New Zealanders – admission will not be charged for New Zealand residents, but as a charity we always encourage and appreciate donations. 

Admissions changes for International visitors will come into effect on Tuesday 1 October 2024.