Ground state | Ernest Lord Rutherford and his footprints in te tauihu -

by Shae Trewin, Museum Development Adviser | Kaiwhanake Whare Taonga, Te Papa Tongarewa

Nelson Tasman’s celebrity scientist and father of nuclear physics, Ernest Rutherford, was born at Spring Grove, Brightwater, on 30th August 1871. Affectionately known as “Ern” by his peers, he was the fourth of 12 children of James and Martha Rutherford (nee Thompson). Martha, highly educated, was herself a teacher at Spring Grove School. James was a mill operator and a wheelwright who made horse carriages — a practical problem-solver whose hands-on expertise was strongly passed on to Ern.

The couple married in 1865, and Martha’s unique green silk wedding dress is now preserved in the collection of the Nelson Provincial Museum, along with the Rutherford family cradle and christening gown. Provenance with the dress suggests that locally sourced chromite was used as part of the colour-dyeing process. Martha’s going away dress and bonnet are held by Te Papa Tongarewa.

The Rutherford’s moved to Havelock in Marlborough when Ern was still in primary school. Ern received a scholarship to complete his secondary studies at Nelson College. Thereafter he attended the University of Canterbury in Christchurch before moving to University of Cambridge in the UK. By this point, James and Martha and the family had moved to Taranaki. Although his time in te tauihu (top of the South), was relatively short, Rutherford’s legacy presence is still present in these places and regional museum collections today.

Atomic legacy in Brightwater

The Brightwater flour mill, once operated by Ern’s grandfather John, gained fame for its patented 'Radium Roller Flour' in 1905. Mill owner George Trapnell cleverly capitalised on the scientific fervour surrounding radium—whether as a tribute or a marketing ploy—noting Rutherford’s groundbreaking research into radiation and the nature of the atom, which culminated in the Nobel Prize in 1908.

Unfortunately, like the mill, Rutherford’s Spring Grove home was demolished, but photographs of it survive in the collection of the Nelson Provincial Museum. Rutherford’s birthplace is now marked by a terraced memorial site with a bronze statue of a young boy by local sculptor Paul Walshe (d. 2007). Each terrace represents a different stage in Rutherford’s career with trees from Canada, New Zealand and England marking his footsteps around the world. The site is located on what is now known as Lord Rutherford Road.

Baron Rutherford of Nelson

In January 1931, Sir Ernest Rutherford was elevated to the peerage and he chose Nelson as his territorial designation. In response to congratulations from Nelson’s mayor, Rutherford remarked “delighted to hear Nelsonians approve choice of title recalling my birthplace, youth and college”[1]. Just a few months prior, in 1930, Nelson College laid the foundation stone for Rutherford House, a new hostel for boarders which still exists today. Along the same accommodation lines, The Rutherford Hotel was built in 1972, with over 8 floors and 100 rooms. It still remains one of Nelson’s largest event venues and luxury accommodation providers.

The mark of a baron in Havelock

When Ernest Rutherford became Baron Rutherford of Nelson, he was granted an official coat of arms featuring a kiwi and a Māori warrior - symbols reflecting his New Zealand heritage. His presence in the small town of Havelock is marked by a memorial in the centre of town with an information plaque and his coat of arms on the front. The coat of arms features the mythological figure Hermes Trismegistus representing knowledge and alchemy, and a male Māori warrior wearing a kākaku and holding a mere (a flat bladed weapon). The top of the shield has a baron coronet (headpiece), helm and a kiwi. A unique feature of Rutherford’s coat of arms are the two curves on the shield representing radioactive growth and decay.

Resting in Westminster

Ernest Lord Rutherford passed away on 19 October 1937 in England after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Rutherford is one of only a few scientists to be honoured with burial in Westminster Abbey, his ashes lay in the “science corner” near those of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and most recently Stephen Hawking.

In Rutherford’s memory, Nelson City Council renamed Waimea Street to Rutherford Street in 1944. This permanent and prominent stretch of road traverses central Nelson from Halifax Street to Endeavour Street, just before Nelson College. It remains a permanent memorial to Rutherford’s legacy in the region.

References

[1] Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 2 February 1931, Page 4, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19310202.2.43