Butler Collection

Butler Collection

Tauranga resident Fred Butler had a very sizable Maori collection and was by some thought to be of national significance, certainly of Taranaki significance. Fred was Taranaki born and bred, and was a collector all of his life. The collection was purchased by, and housed for a period in the Tauranga Historic Village but the ownership was disputed legally. He eventually packed up everything and re-located to Thames, where he died about 1982. His collection was sold to the Wagner Collection in Northland and dispersed around the country and overseas.

Info courtesy Dean Flavell