Upper Clutha History Society: Volunteers Celebrating Their Community

Capturing local stories, be it through interviews, photos, maps or documents, is one way we can celebrate our local community. In 1985, the Upper Clutha History Society was established to collect and preserve records and images of the history of Wānaka and the Upper Clutha area and make them available to the public. We are a not-for-profit incorporated society with over 30 volunteers and one part-time contractor. As time marches on, history is created and our task-list grows.

Many of our volunteers work on digitally accessioning our vast collection of archives. Others use those records to write stories that can be shared with the community. A group of our volunteers work exclusively on our Oral History Project, interviewing local individuals to capture their stories of the past.

Last year we launched ‘Audio Stories’ on our website, www.wanakahistory.org. This included editing and uploading over 200 clips taken from the Oral History Project, featuring over 35 local Storytellers who offered their time to tell the history of our region. From stories of farming and family life to accounts of community events, change and development, the collection preserves unique perspectives for future generations.

Helen Howarth, one of the team’s coordinators, says that “listening to the voices of the people telling the stories really does bring our history to life.”

The Upper Clutha History Society simply would not be here without the time, effort and passion provided by our volunteers, past and present. For a town with no dedicated local history museum and a rapidly growing population, gathering, archiving and sharing historical records is becoming increasingly important. Simply put, the dedication, generosity and hard work of our volunteers is our greatest asset.

Story written by Upper Clutha History Society for our Volunteer Celebration Stories campaign to celebrate National Volunteer Week 2026.