Eden Hore collection attracts prestigious history grant

Eden Hore collection steering group member Dr Jane Malthus has been awarded a history grant from the Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage for her work with the unique Central Otago-based gown collection.

The ministry selected 10 projects New Zealand-wide that tell a range of histories ranging from the revival of Moko Mataora (facial tattoo) in the North, to a 1795 shipwreck in Tamatea Dusky Sound in the South.

Fashion Historian Dr Malthus, also the Eden Hore Central Otago co-patron, has had a close association with the development of the Central Otago District Council-owned collection of haute couture dresses from the 1970s and 1980s, started by Māniatoto farmer, the late Eden Hore.

The grant supports people in telling the stories of non-fictional projects that enhance our understanding of New Zealand’s past. A total of $108,200 was awarded this year to the 10 projects that demonstrated quality and originality and would contribute to the study of our nation’s history and society.

The grant would be used for a book project, Otago-based Dr Mathus said.

“I was very thrilled to receive a The Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grant for 2023/2024 for the Eden Hore Central Otago collection book project, tentatively called The Visionary World of Eden Hore.

“I am one of the co-writers of this book and some of the money will help me research topics including Eden’s complex story, the designers and fabrics included in the collection, and the fundraising events he organised. The grant will also help with documenting the collection further, and obtaining archive images to include in the publication which is due out in 2025.

“It is a great boost to EHCO to get this recognition, and an opportunity to tell the unique story of how a fantastic array of New Zealand designer gowns of the 1970s ended up being preserved in Naseby.”

The recipients and projects to be funded for this year’s round of Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants are:

Whina Te Whiu – Te Toi Ora o Waimirirangi: Reviving Moko Mataora kanohi

Karen Wrigglesworth – Blooming Impossible: A life of ‘iris lady’ Jean Stevens

Jennifer Ashton – Ambassadors of the East: The Wreck of the Endeavour in Dusky Sound and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Early Connection to Asia

Jane Malthus – The Visionary World of Eden Hore

Chris Cochran – Woolsheds of the Wairarapa – An Architect’s Appreciation of a New Zealand Vernacular

Annabel Cooper – The Haywards: A Portrait of an Entertaining Family

Samuel Day – Taking Action Against Institutional Racism: The History of the Auckland Committee On Racism and Discrimination

Mark Derby – Son of Satan or Prophet of Peace? Hakaraia Mahika and the Tauranga Wars

Pamela Wood – Symptoms of Settlement: Health and Sickness in New Zealand Settlers’ Lives

Antonella Sarti Evans – The cultural benefits of New Zealand and Italian connections through Italian immigration to Aotearoa from the 1950s to date.

Whiria Te Mahara History Grants are administered by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

For more information about MCH grants go to: https://mch.govt.nz/

For more information about the Eden Hore Collection go to: https://www.edenhorecentralotago.com/