Above: Two adjoining haysheds have been enclosed with funding raised by Cobblestones Heritage Village, including $45,000 from South Wairarapa District Council’s one-off Community Wellbeing Fund.

Funding enables growth at Cobblestones Heritage Village

South Wairarapa District Council funding has boosted South Wairarapa’s historic Cobblestones Heritage Village in Greytown, bringing new income streams to the village and the wider community.

Taking a step back in time has now become more viable thanks to a grant of $45,000 to help expand Cobblestones Heritage Village with a function and conference facility. As heritage grants go, this one might not have an immediate ring of historic resonance but the magnitude of this funding is enabling Cobblestones to generate its own operational income due to enclosing an existing building and making income in a self-sustaining fashion. 

The project is large, by anyone’s stretch of imagination. It successfully gained funding distributed by South Wairarapa District Council from the one-off Community Wellbeing Fund.  

This funding came to the Council from Central Government in 2024. It enabled Cobblestones Heritage Village (run by a charitable trust) to lay a concrete floor and construct walls, transforming two open-air adjoining hay sheds into an enclosed modern events and conference centre. It’s an investment that is already paying lasting dividends to Cobblestones and the South Wairarapa community. 

Enclosing and extending the two hay sheds has also provided additional space for the horse-drawn carriages currently on display in the museum exhibition hall. A new eye-catching exhibition space is also planned to be set up at the hall entrance, dedicated to the display of Māori taonga. 

Above: Work to enclose the former haysheds is creating income streams from the new facility (now able to be used for events – above right). This is strengthening the sustainability of the museum and also helping the local economy with a trickle-over from new visitors who are using the events facility.  

“The new facility has allowed us to host corporate groups for significant meetings and team retreats,” says Cobblestones Museum Board Chair Lynn Bushell. “We now have the space and infrastructure to cater for large groups, while still being able to host smaller gatherings, weddings and a wide range of community events.” 

The results speak for themselves. Visitor numbers have increased significantly, Lynn says, since the new events facility has been functioning. This supports the museum’s long-term sustainability; a challenge faced by many cultural and heritage organisations. That growth can also flow into the local economy thanks to visitors who spend time in local shops, cafes and restaurants.  

Cobblestones’ visitors come from far and wide. Approximately 60 per cent visit from South Wairarapa, 30 per cent from the wider Wairarapa and 10 per cent from Wellington, elsewhere in Aotearoa and overseas.  

“This kind of impact with capital projects is exactly what the Community Wellbeing Fund was set up to achieve,” says Council Funding Advisor Lina McManus.  

Allocated through Council, the fund supports initiatives that strengthen social, cultural, environmental and economic wellbeing in local communities. As a small Council, we would not have been able to support capital projects without this one-off pool of funding. 

“Cobblestones ticks all the boxes. It celebrates heritage, supports strong relationships with whānau, hapū and marae and creates opportunities for people to live connected, active and resilient lives.” 

Cobblestones was established over 50 years ago to preserve the historic 1857 Hastwell Stables and is now a regional heritage village on a 7,800m² site at 169 Main Street, Greytown.  

The 100+ volunteers, known as the Friends of Cobblestones, work to bring the heritage village to life for those who visit. They also look after six Category 2 listed buildings and extensive collections from a working printing press to a historic schoolhouse, saddlery, hospital and even a tiny early prison cell. 

Above: Historic items, large and small, will also be housed in the newly enclosed facility – with more to be added over time.

Cobblestone Heritage Village site includes a welcoming green space where families gather, children play and community events take place. 

Cobblestones Board has a vision is to preserve and share the region’s heritage. Its aim is to conserve its collections for future generations, provide engaging educational experiences for all ages and offer a welcoming green space and community hub for the community. 

“It goes without saying that we honour our Treaty obligations as part of our mahi in this place,” says Lynn. 

Future plans for the village are to rebrand a Victorian experience this year where visitors can engage in an immersive and interactive way.  

“As AI thunders towards enveloping our future, this experience will allow us to step into a simpler world and introduce others to it.” 

The project was initiated by the Cobblestones Board when it identified the need for the redevelopment of the two sheds to protect and display the collections. 

“Our two waka tiwai are displayed in pride of place in the exhibition hall and, we hope, will form part of the display we are discussing with Pāpāwai,” says Lynn. 

“We see that moving away from what has been a ‘colonial’ stance, to include our shared cultural diversity to be vital for visitors, individuals and our community to understand how our culture has developed in Wairarapa. This work is underpinned by our policy of using te reo in our signage. Similarly, we are in the process of reviewing our street signage and have engaged Paora Ammunson to help.” 

Lynn says Cobblestone Heritage Village’s Trust Board aims to create a sense of belonging and identity through all of its exhibitions and collections. 

Cobblestones is open daily year round at 169 Main Street, Greytown. Cobblestonesmuseum.org.nz  

Above: Original cobblestones provided the inspiration for the name of Cobblestones Heritage Village in Greytown.