Okains Bay Maori & Colonial Museum

On Waitangi Day Bill has the honour of accompanying the Governor General’s Representative at the traditional welcome. He is of Ngai Tahu/Waitaha descent combined with Austrian and Scottish ancestries. Bill has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with a major in accounting and a particular focus upon auditing and tax compliance, a Bachelor of Education degree majoring in Education Research and Human Development and an MBA.. Professionally he has worked on mission critical projects across small, medium and large entities in a range sectors at a senior management or governance levels delivering governance, management and social research competence. Bill is a board member and an Associate Fellow of the NZ Institute of Management, and serves on Navy League Canterbury (NZ) Inc, the Defence Association of NZ and on the NZ Institute of International Affairs.

Murray Thacker is pure Okains. All of his 8 great grandparents having been early settlers in the Bay. Murray grew up in Okains Bay and attended the local school and began his collecting interest whilst there. On completion of his studies at Christchurch Boys High, he trained as a blacksmith, soon returning to Okains to manage his own farm and develop a very successful Hereford stud. The Museum began as his private collection in his own home, but when the opportunity arose, he purchased the Old Cheese Factory and spent the next 9 years setting up the Museum. This included the relocation and restoration of many Colonial historic buildings, forging links with Maori crafts people and commissioning the construction of the Whakaata and Pataka and the erection of the Whare Taonga. Murray is extremely well known and respected in New Zealand for his wealth of knowledge on Maori taonga and was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal shortly after gifting the Museum collection. He has served on the Board and as the President of the Christchurch Agriculture and Pastoral Show, on the Board of the New Zealand Antique Arms association, the Canterbury Pilgrims Association and the Board of Trustees of the Canterbury Museum. In 2009 he was honoured by the Canterbury History Foundation with the award of A.C Rhodes History Medal. Murray has also been a very strong supporter of the local community of Okains Bay, working to keep its vitality by encouraging families with school age children to live in the Bay and helping the store to stay open.

Nigel graduated Ll.B in 1964 from Canterbury University being awarded the Gold Medal for top graduate for the year, and was admitted to the bar in 1965. Since then he has been appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1989 and served as President of the Canterbury Law Society; former and Vice-President of the N Z Law Society. Nigel is the Chair of the N Z Lawyers’ Disciplinary Tribunal; the first Disciplinary Commissioner for International Criminal Court based in The Hague, Netherlands; and was the Chief Justice of Tonga, 1995-97. He is the author of chapters of legal texts and numerous legal articles; presenter of many seminars and various lecture courses on legal topics and a member of many government committees and authorities. He serves as the judicial Officer for N Z Rugby Union, SANZAR and International Rugby Board and Chair of Appeals for Judicial Control Authority for Racing. Nigel was awarded the OBE (1988) and CM (1990). Nigel is married with 7 children and 8 grand children who are frequent visitors to the family holiday home in Okains Bay

Willem has lived in Okains Bay since 2005 and runs Double Dutch, a self built award winning backpackers hostel with his wife Tinker Fraser. He studied Dutch Linguistics and Literature in Utrecht, Holland, and Book and Library Sciences in Amsterdam. He worked for the Special Collection Department of the Utrecht University Library for 15 years before emigrating to New Zealand and has lived in New Zealand for 10 years. He was invited to join the Museum Board as the Okains Bay representative in 2010.

Peter Ramsden is a member of Te Runanga o Koukourarata, the Ngai Tahu Papatipu Runanga of the eastern bays and works as project manager for it. His projects have included the development of the Runanga’s marine farm and now setting up the Marine Aquaculture Academy. Educated at Wellington College, and trained initially as a forest ranger, Peter gained vast experience working internationally on mining and dam projects in Asia for many years before returning to Christchurch 9 years ago so that his children could go to High School in New Zealand and learn Te Reo and Tikanga Maori. He has served on the Museum Board since his return and provides a very important link between the Museum and the Tangata Whenua.  He describes himself as “part Ngai Tahu and part a lot of other things”. Peter is also responsible for organising the sumptuous hangi at the Museum’s annual Waitangi commemorations.

Ruth is the great granddaughter of John Edward and Essy Thacker, the Canterbury Association pilgrims who settled in Okains Bay in 1856 and went on to become its leading family. Ruth grew up in Okains Bay and attended the local primary school. She left the Bay on her marriage, but returned in 1996 to nurse her ailing mother, and subsequently took over the Thacker family cattle and sheep farm, Connemara, which she has run since. Ruth joined the Museum Board as the family representative on her return to Okains, and served for many years as its secretary. The Museum contains many items donated by her family.

Pam farms with Ian and son Andrew a 710ha sheep and beef property on Banks Peninsula. She joined the Board in 2008, is Chairman of the Akaroa Wairewa Community Board and chair of the Akaroa Museum Advisory Board. Pam ‘champions’ rural issues and has taken on a number of leadership roles. She is a Past President of the Province of North Canterbury Federated Farmers, a member of the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, a Trustee of the Rural Canterbury Primary Health Organization, North Canterbury Farmers Charitable Trust, a member of the Canterbury Rural Support Trust and a Sector Warden CD. In 2010, she received the insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to conservation and the community. Pam has recently completed the Making Good Decisions Programme and the Natural Step- Understanding Sustainability. She believes that by understanding the issues, a willingness to find solutions through the outcomes builds strong communities.

Murray Thomas is the most recent member of the Board having joined in 2009. He farms at Tikao bay in the Akaroa harbour where he has also restored one of the Peninsula’s most beautiful colonial homes. Murray achieved his life ambition of owning his own farm after many years hard work and experience in the retail industry, first as a butcher and later as the owner of a chain of gift stores. He is passionate about colonial history and very much enjoys practical working bees.