Goals & Objectives

The Rutherford’s Den Trust was formed in 1999

The three principal goals of the Trust are:

To develop a centre recognising and honouring the life work and achievements of Ernest Rutherford and his contemporaries at Canterbury University, by preserving and furnishing the laboratory in which he worked and to provide storage of documents and artifacts relating to Ernest Rutherford and the early history of scientific research and discoveries at Canterbury University.
To promote and operate this center as an educational resource, historical monument and tourist attraction and to promote and facilitate interest in the history of Canterbury university, science and the potential benefits of scientific discoveries and careers
To foster links with other similar centres

The six principal objectives of the Trust are:

To inspire the ‘Rutherfords of the future’ with this exceptional story of an ordinary Kiwi who, from humble beginnings, went on to achieve great things.
To celebrate and commemorate the achievements of a famous and influential New Zealander.
To conserve and enhance the actual space that Rutherford used as a student researcher and ensure that it remains intact for future generations.
To help visitors understand the educational and social conditions Rutherford experienced as a student in Christchurch.
To provide visitors with information and hands-on experiences that bring to life stories about Rutherford and the development of technology.
To use state of the art technology to tell the Rutherford story and to inspire and entertain visitors.

To achieve these goals The Den Trust has largely relied on the skills of its Trustees in capacities well beyond the governance role combined with the support over time from the Arts Centre Trust Board in respect of marketing and general operations requirements. The Den Trust employs two part-time educators, funded through the Ministry of Education’s LEOTC (Learning Experience Outside The Classroom) programme, who teach science related programmes attended by 5,000 students per annum from primary to secondary school level.