Hosted Visit, open to individuals and small groups: join our popular guided tour of the galleries. Hear an introductory talk and watch the film ‘Poles Apart’.
Starts at 10am finishes at 12.30 pm. $10 per person. Morning tea / coffee / biscuits included. Bookings not required.
‘Poles Apart’ (1 hour) tells the poignant story and background of 733 Polish children and 102 adults who came to live in Pahiatua, New Zealand, 1944. These survivors were forcibly deported from Poland to Russia during World War 2 then evacuated to Persia during a short amnesty. They eventually found a home in New Zealand.
by Lindy Fisher
In house lesson: Identity/Migration: Polish children arrive in 1944
You are warmly invited to a Teacher Only Session for the Learning Outside The Classroom, PHTM educational programme called Stefania For Schools’ based on the book Stefania’s Dancing Slippers by Jennifer Beck and illustrated by Lindy Fisher.
Primary / Intermediate teachers and home educators are invited to visit the Polish Museum for a presentation, in preparation for student visits in 2017 . Experience the ‘Stefania for Schools’ lesson called Identity/Migration: Polish children arrive in 1944 with slideshow, objects and artworks, linked to the NZ school curriculum.
These free sessions are also available on request for your school team. For bookings/enquiries and alternative dates email phtmuseum@ihug.co.nz or call Lynette on 533 3530.
This programmes is age appropriate from Years 3-8, age group 7-13 years old
Coffee/tea available.
Museum building
Paper cut-outs school holiday workshop $8.00 per person, 7 years plus, relaxing and fun, plenty of ideas given to take home and try more designs!
Come create with paper and scissors. Great activity for the whole family
Polish decorative paper cut-outs belong to the most beautiful in the world. Traditionally they were made by hand, without drawing the lines first, cut with sheep-sheering scissors.
- Take home 2 art works.
- Watch a short presentation
- Designs based on the Lowicz and Kurpie regions of Poland
- This workshop is also available throughout the year, other dates and days, and is ideal for birthday parties too!
Bookings preferred please, phone 533 3530 or 021 107 0169 or email us.
Museum hours Tue to Fri 10-4 and Sun12-5
An adult group that meets on the first Friday each month, looks at various types of wycinanki or cut-outs, using paper and scissors, a traditional Polish folk art $10pp includes a cuppa. A warm welcome awaits you. Try something new, come create with paper and scissors. New members are welcome any time as we work at our own pace, materials and designs provided. We meet on the first Friday of the month. Polish decorative paper cut-outs belong to the most beautiful in the world. Traditionally they were made by hand, without drawing the design first, cutting out using sheep-sheering scissors.
- New members can watch a short presentation
- Designs based on the Lowicz and Kurpie regions of Poland
- Beginners workshop is also available throughout the year, gather your group together and make a booking, a date and time to suit you.
- Ideal class for children’s birthday parties too! 8plus, can be available on some Saturdays
For enquiries and bookings please phone 533 3530 or email us.
Museum hours Tue to Fri 10-4 and Sun12-5
Hosted Visit, open to individuals and small groups: join our popular guided tour of the galleries. Hear an introductory talk and watch the film ‘Poles Apart’.
The museum will open at 10.30am, we will serve morning tea and start with a talk at 10.45am, the event will finish around 12.30 pm, with free time to wander the exhibits The museum will stay open till 5pm. Price is $10 per person. Morning tea / coffee / biscuits included. Bookings not required.
‘Poles Apart’ (1 hour) tells the poignant story and background of 733 Polish children and 102 adults who came to live in Pahiatua, New Zealand, 1944. These survivors were forcibly deported from Poland to Russia during World War 2 then evacuated to Persia during a short amnesty. They eventually found a home in New Zealand.
An adult group that meets on the first Friday each month, looks at various types of wycinanki or cut-outs, using paper and scissors, a traditional Polish folk art $10pp includes a cuppa. A warm welcome awaits you. Try something new, come create with paper and scissors. New members are welcome any time as we work at our own pace, materials and designs provided. We meet on the first Friday of the month. Polish decorative paper cut-outs belong to the most beautiful in the world. Traditionally they were made by hand, without drawing the design first, cutting out using sheep-sheering scissors.
- New members can watch a short presentation
- Designs based on the Lowicz and Kurpie regions of Poland
- Beginners workshop is also available throughout the year, gather your group together and make a booking, a date and time to suit you.
- Ideal class for children’s birthday parties too! 8plus, can be available on some Saturdays
For enquiries and bookings please phone 533 3530 or email us.
Museum hours Tue to Fri 10-4 and Sun12-5
Safe Haven Exhibition
Nestled 2km south of Pahiatua township was a temporary army camp located at the racecourse, which later provided a safe haven for the Polish children and adults, from 1944 till 1949. They remember the kindness of the Pahiatua locals. Come share their experiences.
Exhibition runs during our opening hours as part of the ‘Auckland Festival of Photography’ 2017. Polish films on Sunday commence July
Wanda Ellis is one of the 733 Polish Children of Pahiatua, come join us…
My Colourful Life tells the remarkable story of an ordinary Polish woman whose life became entangled in the world changing events of World War II. Thoughtful, moving and uplifting, this account is a testimony to the strength of the human spirit as it demonstrates the unparalleled optimism and persistent hope of a young girl far from home.
Her family fell victim to the Soviet deportation of Poles into the Russian far North. Only Wanda, then aged fourteen, and her young brother made it to Persia where they found refuge in an orphanage in Isfahan before making the journey to New Zealand. Arriving in this new land opened a new chapter in Wanda’s life. After a temporary stay at the Polish Children’s Camp in Pahiatua, she moved to Auckland in 1945 to continue her education. Wanda Ellis received the Queen’s Service Medal in 2015.
Wanda’s book will be available $25.00 and can be signed by the author.
Stay and enjoy tea or coffee at 2.30pm
Hosted Visit, open to individuals and small groups: join our popular guided tour of the galleries. Hear an introductory talk and watch the film ‘Poles Apart’.
The museum will open at 10am, we will serve morning tea and start with a talk at 10.15am, the event will finish around 12noon, with free time to wander the exhibits The museum will stay open till 4pm. Price is $10 per person. Morning tea / coffee / biscuits included. Bookings not required.
‘Poles Apart’ (1 hour) tells the poignant story and background of 733 Polish children and 102 adults who came to live in Pahiatua, New Zealand, 1944. These survivors were forcibly deported from Poland to Russia during World War 2 then evacuated to Persia during a short amnesty. They eventually found a home in New Zealand.