Welcome to Kete New Plymouth - Taranaki's online digital archive of current and historical local events, people, places and experiences.
The Kete is a place for people to share and discover stories, images, video and audio relating to life in Taranaki. We invite members of the community to register and contribute their own experiences to our ever-expanding basket of knowledge; ensuring that this information is retained for all New Zealanders, now and in the future.
You can find links to some of our most popular baskets below, or explore all baskets
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A permit was granted to Grocer's Assistant Frank Ernest Gadd Jnr for the construction of a residence in Norman Street on the 11th of December 1922, Gadd was noted as the builder and the estimated construction value of the bungalow cottage was £650.
Gadd worked in his father's (Frank Ernest Gadd Snr) grocery business, which was located on the North side of Devon Street, just west of the Liardet Street intersection.
Hunter Street in Hāwera acknowledges the life and contribution to the district of one of South Taranaki’s largest land owners and most successful farmers.
When young Scotsman Moore Hunter left home he lived for a few years in Canada. It was only after he arrived in New Zealand that he found what he was looking for in life. He bought a farm in Kai Iwi, then one in Waitotara. By the 1870s he had sold up and settled in Hāwera.
He bought land on the southwestern edge
Before Hill Street in Eltham was planned, the town laid out a sports ground in the area. It wasn’t a suitable location. Rugby teams with a lead late in the game wasted time by kicking the ball down a slope. This obvious problem wasn’t the only reason sportsmen soon moved on though.
In the 1890s work started on draining the Ngaere swamp. The improved access from the north meant land values in Eltham increased dramatically. George Moir, a prominent land owner, opened up what became Moir Street
Hector Place in Opunake was named after a man who dominated the scientific institutions of his adopted country.
Born in Edinburgh on 16 March 1834, James Hector studied geology and medicine before spending three years exploring western Canada, mapping a route through the Rocky Mountains. He came to New Zealand in 1862, working first in Otago, where he was employed to conduct a three-year geological survey, then Wellington, where he became Director of the Colonial Museum (predecessor of Te Papa). Hector was also responsible for many other official scientific bodies, including the
Hāwera’s Erin Street, along with four of the town’s other central streets, was named to commemorate the union of the four countries of Great Britain.
Erin is an old poetic name for Ireland which seems to have originated from the Irish word for Ireland, Éire. In 1801 Ireland joined the United Kingdom so the naming of this street, along with Albion, (England) Caledonia (Scotland), Cambria (Wales) and Union Streets, was a patriotic nod to the home countries of the settlers.
The fortunes of Erin St, which it