MOTAT Collection Recognised by UNESCO, 26 August 2026

For the first time, a MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) collection has achieved
inscription into UNESCO’s Memory of the World.

Auckland, New Zealand – MOTAT’s Walsh Memorial Library is proud to announce that the Ron Vine
Collection will be officially inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand
Register, recognising its exceptional significance to Aotearoa New Zealand’s documentary heritage. To
celebrate, a curated exhibition opens on Monday 31 August at MOTAT.

This is the first MOTAT collection to be inscribed into the register and the first time a photographic
collection centred on agriculture has received this recognition.

The Ron Vine Collection is one of three to be recognised by Aotearoa New Zealand’s UNESCO Memory
of the World Trust, the other two for 2026 are: The Coates family of Ruatuna (Heritage New Zealand
Pouhere Taonga and the Kauri Museum); and The Avis Acres Cartoons and Illustrations Archive
(Alexander Turnbull Library).

The Memory of the World Register includes 59 inscriptions of nationally and internationally important
documentary heritage collections. These include Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Women’s Suffrage Petition, the
papers of Katherine Mansfield and Sir Edmund Hillary, and the photography of Marti Friedlander.
MOTAT’s Ron Vine Collection comprises more than 1,400 photographs by agricultural photojournalist
Harry Ronald (Ron) Vine, created between 1934 and 1947. Vine documented a transformative period in
Aotearoa New Zealand’s history, capturing how farming, technology, and communities shaped
landscapes and the nation during a time of rapid change. This striking and detailed black-and-white
photographic collection is accompanied by an autobiographical manuscript and a critical assessment
of his journalism created by his son Michael Vine.

As an early science educator and later editor of New Zealand Farmer, Vine played a pivotal role in
translating agricultural innovation into practical knowledge for farmers, while helping connect rural and
urban New Zealanders through storytelling and photography. His work records everything from sheep
shearing and milk testing to citrus harvesting and land development, alongside portraits of farmers,
workers, and rural families. Particularly significant are images of the Rūātoki community of Ngāi Tūhoe,
where Vine was raised, providing rare insight into Māori agricultural development and community life
during an important period of social and economic change.

Simon Wetherill, MOTAT’s Head of Libraries and Archives said: “We are delighted to learn that this
remarkable collection has received UNESCO recognition and Ron Vine’s legacy of documenting this
pivotal period for Aotearoa New Zealand’s nascent agricultural economy can be further protected and
shared far and wide.”

The UNESCO Memory of the World programme honours collections of enduring cultural, historical, and
documentary value, helping to safeguard and share humanity’s documentary heritage for future
generations. Inclusion in the Aotearoa New Zealand Register acknowledges the Ron Vine Collection as
a unique and nationally significant record of rural life, agricultural innovation, and the development of
New Zealand’s primary industries. MORE

Seán McMahon, Chair of the Trust, congratulated the repositories for the care taken by them in the
preservation, digitisation, and research accessibility of their collections and taonga. “These heritage
collections represent a diverse range of peoples, places, and histories across Aotearoa New Zealand.
The range of materials this year is quite phenomenal and includes photographs, manuscripts and
ephemera, through to cartoons, illustrations, and korowai. These collections align with UNESCO’s
vision of recognising significant documentary heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand.”

The Ron Vine Collection has been catalogued and is now fully accessible through MOTAT’s online
collections platform, ensuring researchers, communities and future generations can continue to
engage with this remarkable record of New Zealand life.

MOTAT’s Walsh Memorial Library will present a curated exhibition of the Ron Vine Collection
opening on 31 August 2026. Featuring previously unseen photographs alongside archival materials,
the exhibition will explore Vine’s legacy and the evolution of agriculture in Aotearoa, while highlighting
the stories, people and innovations that helped shape modern New Zealand.

About Ron Vine: Harry Ronald “Ron” Vine (1914-1994) was one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most
influential agricultural journalists, whose writing helped shape national conversations about farming,
land use, and rural development for more than four decades.
Raised in Te Hapua in the Far North and Rūātoki in the Bay of Plenty, Vine developed an early interest in
agriculture and the natural environment. His first published article appeared in The New Zealand
Farmer in 1934, examining cypress shelterbelts and demonstrating the practical insight that would
become his trademark. Over the following decades he became a prolific writer for publications
including The New Zealand Farmer, Auckland Weekly News, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, and
Auckland Star.

Following service with the RNZAF during World War II, Vine continued his independent journalism
career, earning a reputation as a trusted authority on farming, land development, conservation, and
rural affairs. He later became editor of The New Zealand Farmer in 1971, helping grow its readership
and influence. Between 1950 and 1952, he documented the design and construction of the now iconic
Vine House, (Sadler Point, Mahurangi East Regional Park) and the transformation of its surrounding land
into a working sheep farm.

Recognised with numerous professional honours, Vine remained an advocate for rural communities
throughout his life. He died on 26 September 1994, leaving a legacy in New Zealand agricultural
journalism and rural history.