Golden Bay Whalery

MacLab is proud to be a financial sponsor of the Golden Bay Whalery. There are few museums in New Zealand that have a whale skeleton on display, and the Golden Bay museum is exceptional due to its proximity to Farewell Spit, the country’s most significant whale stranding site.

The Whalery project was inspired by the vision of local resident Alan McLean who spent two years constructing the prime exhibit – a 4m pilot whale skeleton. A major undertaking was initiated by the Golden Bay community to raise the funds necessary to extend the museum to house the Whalery exhibition.

After 3 years of dedication and effort by the many volunteers and supporters the Whalery was opened in 2018.

This exhibition captures the significance of the marine environment to Golden Bay’s history, and is an embodiment of the spirit and collaboration of the local community.

Maclab has a long history of investment in Golden Bay as a mussel farmer and we are pleased to have contributed to a project that is aligned to our values of conducting a sustainable aquaculture business which respects the environment and supports the local community.

Following the success of this project, Maclab has made a further financial contribution to the museum to enable it to continue to record and share the history of the region.