CHB Archivist - Duck Hunting

Hello, my name is Carter Drake and I have been appointed as the New Student Archivist for CHB College.

As part of my program in Archival Development, I will be working closely with the CHB Museum and the CHB District Libraries Recollect system, investigating points of interest from the past relating to both CHBC and the wider CHB community, which I will collate into a series of media articles and collections on the Digital NZ platform. These will include school events and moments in history that have involved students, teachers, parents and/ or wider scale moments which have impacted our local community.

Currently, I am researching the origins of “Pawa” the 400kg duck that appeared in Waipawa during the 90’s and how it served in the creation of the annual Duck Day Fundraiser that we all know and love today. I have a personal connection to the subject of the Waipawa Duck Day fundraiser not only because my last name

“Drake” is the noun for a male duck but because I have spent a considerable amount of time at Ronald McDonald House in Auckland, while getting medical treatment at Starship Hospital.

I am interested in hearing anecdotes or viewing any photographs you may have relating to this topic or any other significant events you'd like to share about our towns so please feel free to contact me at studentarchivist@chbc.school.nz thank you.

Carter Drake

Student Archivist

Article added: Tuesday 25 March 2025