Harsant Collection
Harsant Collection Horace Harsant ( -1974) resided at Hahei on the Coromandel on a property he farmed jointly with his brother. The collection of Maori artefacts originated from the area. In the 1950s it included mere, knives, fishhooks and adzes. A set of leg chains from HMS Buffalo were also in the collection. In 1977 the collection was reported as being bequeathed to the Hahaei community. It remains in the district.
His wife, Florence Harsant has an entry in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Her autobiography (Harsant 1979:181) has a brief reference to the collection. Archaeologist Wendy Harsant is a descendant of Horace's brother Walter.
Sources: New Zealand Free Lance - cutting 1950s, New Zealand Herald December 23, 1977. Harsant, F. 1979 They call me Te Maari. Whitcoulls, Christchurch.
