A new research project focusing on a selection of Maori artefactsknown as the Willetts Collection is under way at the North Otago Museum.
There are nearly 10,000 stone tools, flakes and broken artefact fragments in the collection from what is now known to be one of the largest archaic Maori settlements in New Zealand.
The taonga were first pulled from a field belonging to Stewart and Violet Willetts just south of the Waitaki River in 1953 by their sons Allan and Colin who were ploughing a "little-used" paddock.
The oldest of the Willetts four siblings, Joan Robb (nee Willetts) said her family were very proud of what they were able to contribute to the area’s history when they collected the trove.
"They were found right at the back of the property.
"I remember Allan bringing them in his lunch bag."
Her family moved to the property in the early 1940s and stayed until the early 1970s when they took the collection to their new home in Brinkburn St, Oamaru.
Her father set the collection up in old museum display cases to show to members of the public.
Mrs Robb said he was proud of what he and his family found and wanted to preserve the items and share them with the community.
"Dad wanted to keep it together because he felt it was valuable.
"A piece here and a piece there isn’t a collection."
After her father died the collection was gifted to the Waitaki District Archive after 1993.
