A lock of Queen Victoria’s hair, an anti-vaccine placard, a specially designed mug from the Beehive’s formal opening in 1977, and a large wooden elephant.
These items are part of the Parliamentary Collection, the most notable component of which is a significant art collection which you can see widely on the walls around Parliament.
Parliamentary Curator Tasha Fernandez shows off two of Parliament's Gretchen Albrecht paintings. Photo: Phil Smith
The art collection includes sub-collections, and these are treasures. The Curator of the Parliamentary Collection, Tasha Fernandez, says a lot of the work that those who visit Parliament notice is by notable artists and comes from the MFAT transfer in the early 90s, when art that was kept in New Zealand’s high commissions abroad got brought back home.
“If you look down that corridor and some other parts of the precinct, we’ve got some absolute stunning (art)... we’ve got four Colin McCahons - that’s pretty exquisite to have - we’ve got some Frances Hodgkins, some absolutely stunning pieces. We’re very lucky,” she says.
“An incredibly diverse and eclectic collection”, the Parliamentary collection has been going since the 1880s but it wasn’t formalised until the 1990s, Fernandez explains.
“We’ve got protest materials, we’ve got photography, staff uniforms over the years, building-related materials, and original 1977 carpet from the Beehive.”
Fernandez is determined that the public should have the opportunity to experience the Parliamentary Collection which has four and a half thousand items. “There’s also twenty-eight paper weights in that!” she adds.
Parliamentary Curator Tasha Fernandez shows Johnny Blades Parliament's collection of taonga, stored in the vault. Photo: Phil Smith
“I’m really careful and conscious (that) the good stuff gets seen. I really, really want lots of people to see this work. So I’m working with an internship programme at the moment. to digitise the collection, and that’s really important. So you don’t have to be on precinct to look at it.”
When offered any item for the collection, she must consider whether it’s unique to Parliament and the country.
“The latest acquisitions are related to the big protest (in February/March). And that’s important because for the collection to stay relevant it has to reflect our history, and that was a huge part of New Zealand’s history. It wasn't a nice part but it was significant."
The Collection also includes the traditional objects used for things like opening and closing Parliament, such as the mace and the black rods. Sometimes things go missing around the precinct so it makes sense to keep them under the watch of the curator who furthermore has the job of regularly winding up the huge old Magneta Master clock on the first floor of Parliament Building.
A brick caught inside the broken light globe it smashed during the protest - now part of Parliament's collection. Photo: Phil Smith
As well, Fernandez plays a hand in installing art in MPs' offices. Some naturally bring art that they've sourced themselves, often via constituents, to hang up, but the curator is there to assist a member have their essence captured a little in art in that office they come to thirty weeks a year.
Meanwhile, the art displays on precinct are frequently updated, and Fernandez reminds The House that public art tours of Parliament have resumed after a break due to the pandemic.
