About Te Toi Uku
Discover what we are all about here at Te Toi Uku, Crown Lynn and Clayworks Museum.
Our Story
Te Toi Uku is a thriving community-focused Museum based in New Lynn, Auckland. Our name translates to ‘art of clay’ in te reo Māori, and our purpose is to celebrate and preserve the diverse histories associated with West Auckland’s clay industry, with a particular focus on Crown Lynn Potteries.
Operated by the Portage Ceramics Trust, Te Toi Uku was first opened in 2015. The Museum is located on the Gardener and Parker Brothers brickworks site, and we have the last remaining brick-firing kiln in Auckland next door to the Museum.
The Trust was first formed in 2005 to purchase the large private collection of Richard Quinn, comprising of ceramics and pottery-making equipment relating to Crown Lynn Potteries. This acquisition continues to make up the bulk of our present-day collection. Richard Quinn saw the tragedy in Crown Lynn’s closure and fought to preserve as much of its history as he could. Without his forethought, we would have a fraction of the insight we have now.
As well as our collection of objects related to Crown Lynn Potteries, we also house work by several other historic studio and commercial potters based in West Auckland. This includes a substantial collection of Studio Ceramics pottery.
Inside the Museum, the displays focus on two key topics – the development of Crown Lynn Potteries, and the extensive brick and pipe-making history of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.
Te Toi Uku’s vision is to engage the public in the discovery, appreciation and understanding of ceramics, including Crown Lynn, and the part they played in the local community of New Lynn and throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Our People
DIRECTOR
Louise Stevenson
Louise is an artist and art educator and was the founder and director of the community arts organisation ArtSpark. She has a Fine Arts background, and worked for several years in ceramics production, as a designer and decorator at Morris and James Pottery, and at the Garden Party Factory. Born in the Solomon Islands, where her mother served meals on Crown Lynn plates, Louise now lives in West Auckland and has a fascination with Crown Lynn and a passion for the company’s history and products. Louise is enthusiastic about the potential of Te Toi Uku to play a lively role in the Whau community and to communicate the Museum’s story to a wider regional and national audience.
WEEKEND HOST
Willa Langeveld-Simpson
Willa is passionate about local history and preserving the stories that accompany it. She has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Sociology, and is currently completing a Certificate in Museum Practice. Willa grew up in New Lynn, eating off Crown Lynn plates bought by her parents at second-hand shops. Now, she has begun her own collection and is fascinated by the history these objects represent. Willa is excited by the growing community surrounding Te Toi Uku, and looks forward to seeing the Museum continue to flourish.
The Portage Ceramics Trust
The Portage Ceramics Trust administers Te Toi Uku. Formed in 2005 to purchase the collection of Richard Quinn, the Trust went on to establish the Museum at its current premises in 2015. The Trust continues to play an integral role in the Museum’s management.
Trust Board Members
CO - CHAIR
Robyn Mason
Robyn has an interest in uku (clay), industrial history and in engaging museum visitors with the stories of Aotearoa New Zealand. She spent much time mooching about the abandoned Hoffman Kiln in Palmerston North, before going to live in an old New England brewery, and working at an outdoor history Museum in New Hampshire. Robyn managed Auckland Libraries, Research Centre West, where she was responsible for the digitisation of the J. T. (Jack) Diamond Photographic Collection. A collection now inscribed on the New Zealand Aotearoa register of the UNESCO Memory of the World, recognising its international significance in the subject of West Auckland’s clay history and the Waitākere Ranges. She now lives in the Ranges, having been expelled from Waterview by the motorway construction, where she lived on the site of the 1850s Star Flour Mill operated by sometime brickmaker John Thomas. Robyn leads the popular Remains of the Clay walking tours in New Lynn.
CO - CHAIR, TREASURER
Moana Cook
Moana’s family has lived in Green Bay for 50 years, and her mother worked at Crown Lynn in the late 1970s as a fettler, working with greenware pottery prior to firing. She has fond memories of visiting the factory as a young child and their house was always filled with Crown Lynn pieces. So, when a position became available on the board of Te Toi Uku, she jumped at the chance to join. She has held many voluntary positions in local community organisations and has worked for the Green Bay Community House Society, and currently holds the position of Community programming Specialist at the Te Atatū Peninsula Community Hub. During this time, she has developed an understanding of the importance of strong governance practice. Moana is currently pursuing a Master's in Applied Practice, focusing on how community organisations navigate and survive governance crises. In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her family and is an avid cat lover.
SECRETARY
Michael Riley
Michael’s interest in ceramics is linked to the Whau’s reputation as one of New Zealand’s most historic and pre-eminent clay and ceramics centres. Te Toi Uku has a big part part to play in branding and celebrating this aspect of the Whau’s history, helping to create a point of difference to the New Lynn town centre. Michael is a long-standing resident of the Whau ward, and was also employed by Waitakere City Council for most of the city’s existence leading up to the establishment of the Auckland Council. While in Waitakere’s strategic unit, the city sponsored Michael to complete a Chartered Secretary’s course and a Diploma of Business majoring in Local Government leadership and management, and Michael enjoys using the knowledge gained to give back to the local community. When not volunteering in the Whau, Michael is employed by a firm that represents owners affected by Public Works Act land acquisitions
Fiona Drummond
Fiona Drummond has a passion for clay and ceramic heritage and is vice president of the West Auckland Historical Society. She has a qualification in Museum Practice and works as a careers advisor at Green Bay High School, where she enjoys helping young people find their pathways in the creative and other industries. She is a sustainability advocate in her workplace and beyond, writing heritage, nature and sustainability articles for the monthly Titirangi Fringe magazine. Fiona is in her happy place surrounded by plants and nature in her bush fringed Titirangi garden, and exploring NZ’s cycleways.
Juliet Hawkins
Juliet has a Diploma in Graphic Design and soon after finishing went to work in the Design Studio at Crown Lynn Potteries from 1979 until 1983. She later went on to work at Auckland Museum from 1984 to 2008 as an Artist Technician and Contract Display artist. She has also worked at Alberton & Highwic. In late 2024 Juliet retired after 22 years as Curator of the Ernest & Marion Davis Library which contains a medical collection within Auckland Hospital. Juliet has been involved with Te Toi Uku since 2008 when she was part of the team that catalogued the Richard Quinn collection and her experience at Crown Lynn has helped identify and describe objects held in the Museum.
ADVISORY TRUSTEE
Jane Legget
Jane has worked widely in the museum and heritage sector in the United Kingdom and Aotearoa New Zealand and was latterly Head of Research at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, as well as teaching Museum Studies at Victoria University of Wellington and Massey University. She has a special affection for, and an active interest in, small community museums having served as North Island Regional Museums Development Officer with National Services Te Paerangi, Museums of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. She is currently Co-Chair of the Strategic Plan Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and a past chair of ICOM Aotearoa New Zealand.