Logo of The Howick & Districts Historical Society featuring a church illustration

The Howick and Districts Historical Society Incorporated (Society; HDHS) is the owner and operator of Howick Historical Village.
HDHS is an incorporated Society with a membership of approximately 260 and is managed by a Board that meets monthly.

Much of the energy of active Society members is poured into the Historical Village and care of its collections. Ongoing research is also undertaken by some members.

A benefit of being a Society Member is receiving the newsletter. This is published bi-monthly and has featured researched stories of the lives of life members, histories, and research into the provenance of items within the collection. The interviews form an ongoing collection of social history, recording the lives of people currently living within Howick, Pakuranga and surrounding districts.

The Howick & Districts Historical Society 

Membership Brochure

The Society’s Mission

To encourage active exploration of our community's heritage, material culture, and landscape, with a focus on the period 1840 to 1880.

The Society’s Vision

We provide an exceptional visitor experience for a significant and growing multicultural Auckland community, as well as local and international visitors.

Board Members

  • Kathy Kennedy

    President

  • Peter Farnon

    Treasurer

  • Maja Heiniger

    Secretary

  • Marin Burgess

    Heritage Advisor

  • Ian Gibson

    Board Member

  • John Osborne

    Board Member

  • Malcolm Pascoe

    Board Member

  • Mike Ward

    Board Member

  • Steve Udy

    Board Member

  • Vinson Yu

    Board Member

  • Lexie Palmer-Gapper

    General Manager, Howick Historical Village

Introducing Kathy Kennedy, HDHS President

On the 1st of October 2025, I was very honoured to become President of the Howick & Districts Historical Society. While born in Scotland, I have lived in, and raised my family in, Cockle Bay for the past 44 years, and it is very much home to me.

I have always had some involvement in my local community, as a Guider in Scotland, a Kea then Cub leader in Cockle Bay, a Rotary member and past President, and I am a current committee member of the Cockle Bay Residents & Ratepayers Association.

I love my involvement with the Society and the Village, and I am passionate about the preservation of our heritage buildings and collections.

Venues

In addition to the collection of buildings making up the Howick Historical Village, the HDHS owns two historic buildings and the land they rest on, plus one historic building on Council-owned land overlooking the Historical Village.

  • Built in 1851, this home was originally the dwelling of Captain C.H. Montressor Smith, commanding officer of the Howick Fencibles, before being sold to settler farmers – first Robert King in 1856, then Alexander Bell in 1868. It was moved to its present site by Alexander Bell in 1885. The Bell family had bought surrounding farmland in 1868, and continued to own and farm that land until the 1970s. The Bell story is an interesting one and relevant to the social history of the area. The provenance document of Bell House and the farm is available in the Society library.

    In 1989, New Zealand Historic Places Trust listed Bell House as a Category 1 listed building.

    For much of the last 30 years, Bell House has been rented and used as a restaurant. In 2008 it was damaged by fire and has since been restored. It is currently available for hire for conferences, exhibitions, meetings, weddings, and similar events.

  • This is a 2.7-hectare property featuring a delightful 1855 farmhouse on its original site, situated on Botany Road. It was bequeathed to the Howick & Districts Historical Society by the Rev. Robert Hattaway in 1992.

    Robert Hattaway was the fourth generation of the settler Hattaway family to farm Hawthorn Dene, and it was his wish that the property be used for “preservation, as near as possible in its existing condition, as a memorial to the pioneer settlers of Howick, Pakuranga, and East Tamaki.”

    The homestead is currently leased as a café and is enhanced by its rural setting within its suburban surroundings. It has a Category 2 listing with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

  • Originally built in 1848 for Captain C.H. Montressor Smith, it was sold soon after to the Anglican Church and became the home of Howick’s first resident vicar, the Rev Vicesimus Lush from 1850-1863.

    In 1975, when the Anglican Church decided to build a new vicarage, the old house was moved to a site next to Bell House, where it was renovated by members of the Society.

    Overlooking the Howick Historical Village, it provides a gracious backdrop and is currently in a restoration phase.