Founding Campaigns

Support Solaria — Founding Patron Campaigns

Be Part of the Beginning

Solaria is being built the way all living things grow — slowly, carefully, and from the ground up.

There are no shortcuts here. No investors with agendas, no corporate backing, no compromise on the vision. Just a family in Tasman, a growing collection of extraordinary earth treasures, and a long-held dream of creating something genuinely rare — a sanctuary where minerals, science, story, soul, and human connection meet.

To make that dream real, we need people who believe in it before it is finished.

These campaigns are how we invite you in.

Each one is focused, specific, and time-sensitive — a single goal, a clear purpose, and a direct line between your contribution and something tangible taking shape at Solaria. When a campaign closes, you will see exactly what your support made possible. And when the next one opens, you will know what comes next.

There is no pressure here. Only an open door — for those who feel called to walk through it.

To stay updated on current and upcoming campaigns, subscribe to our Founding Patron list below.

01. The Hall of Memory Collection 1

ACTIVE

A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity

Some collections take a lifetime to build.

This one did.

We have a rare and time-sensitive opportunity to secure a foundational museum collection for Solaria — gathered over many years by a deeply knowledgeable New Zealand couple who have held these special earth treasures with care and reverence for as long as they can. The time has come for these pieces to find a new home, and we believe that home is Solaria.

We cannot share full details until the collection is secured — but we can tell you it includes pounamu, New Zealand agates, petrified wood, quartz clusters, stalactites, fossil specimens, moa bones, and a wide selection of beautiful minerals gathered across a lifetime of dedicated collecting.

This is not a job lot. It is a curated collection, assembled with knowledge, love, and intention — exactly the kind of foundational pieces that belong at the heart of Solaria's Hall of Memory.

Why This Matters

The Hall of Memory is envisioned as Solaria's mineral museum — a place honouring deep time, geological process, and the living history of Aotearoa New Zealand. Collections like this one are the reason it exists.

Once secured, these specimens will be:

Available for private viewing by donation at Solaria in Richmond, Tasman
Catalogued and key pieces listed on the Solaria website
Held with the same care and reverence they have always known — until Solaria opens its doors to the public

This collection will not wait.

There is genuine urgency here, and every contribution brings it closer to being safe with Solaria.

Campaign Goal: $3,000

Raised so far: $370
Remaining: $2,630

Every dollar raised goes directly toward securing this collection. Once the goal is reached, we act immediately.

Support Tiers

Seedstone — $20

Your name listed on the Hall of Memory thank you page on the Solaria website
A personal email update when the collection is secured, with first photographs

Riverstone — $100

Everything above
A private digital video viewing of the collection once secured — from Amanda, shared just with patrons of this campaign

Goldstone — $250

Everything above
An invitation to a private in-person viewing at Solaria in Richmond, Tasman (by appointment)
Your name on a specimen card as 'sponsor' for a piece from this collection, chosen by Amanda with care

Hearthstone — $500

Everything above
First choice of specimen naming from the collection list as 'sponsor' (once secured)
A handpicked crystal from the Solaria shop, posted to you with care

How to Contribute

By card: SUPPORT THIS CAMPAIGN → (Stripe — any amount welcome)

By NZ bank transfer: Email Amanda at hello@searsco.nz to receive bank details directly.

This option is fee-free and goes straight to us.

You will be added to our Founding Patron supporter list and receive personal updates about this campaign and your rewards. At the close of the campaign you'll be warmly invited to join the main Solaria eNewsletter if you'd like to stay connected.

Interested in making a pledge rather than an immediate contribution? Get in touch.

We aim to reach this goal within 3 months of May 1st 2026 - ideally sooner.

*P.S. Please know that if you'd prefer to simply offer your contribution without any rewards or updates in return, that is a beautiful and equally valued gift. Just let me know and I will honour that quietly.

A Note on Transparency

Solaria is not a registered charity. Contributions are received as gifts and are not currently eligible for donation tax credits. Every dollar raised goes directly to this collection. We are committed to keeping you personally updated every step of the way — from first purchase through to the moment these pieces arrive at Solaria.

Solaria is unfolding with intention rather than fixed deadlines. Our genuine intention is to have key pieces from this collection available for private viewing within 3 months of securing it, and listed on our website within 6 months.

Any funds raised above and beyond the total goal amount will flow into the next campaign.

FUTURE CAMPAIGNS

02. The Eye of Solaria

PENDING

Goal: $5,000

To truly see the mineral world, you need the right eyes.

Campaign 02 will fund the heart of Solaria's scientific capability — a specialist trinocular microscope with professional camera, plus two community microscopes for visitors and guests to use. This equipment will allow us to photograph the hidden landscape inside minerals in extraordinary detail, including the world-class micromineral Well's Collection, as well as forming the foundation of the Mineralscapes exhibition and Solaria's ongoing educational resources.

When this campaign is funded, the microscopic world opens up — for Solaria, and for everyone who visits.

03. Mineralscapes — The Exhibition

PENDING

Goal: $800

Mineralscapes is Solaria's first public exhibition.

Large-format photographic prints of minerals — taken through our microscopes, revealing the astonishing hidden landscapes within stone — printed and displayed at a venue in Nelson Tasman. This campaign funds the printing, framing, and exhibition setup that will bring these images into the world for the first time. Founding Patrons of this campaign will be invited to opening night.

This campaign will open following the completion of Campaign 02.

04. Completing the Antarctic Set

PENDING

Goal: $900

Solaria already holds one of three matching ventifacts — stones shaped by Antarctic wind and ice over thousands of years, carrying the memory of one of the most remote and elemental places on Earth. Collected on a scientific expedition around 30 years ago.

These two complete the set. Once together, all three will be displayed at Solaria — a quiet, extraordinary record of deep time and planetary force. There are very few objects in the world quite like them.

05. Storage, Display & Care

PENDING

Goal: $300

The quiet work that makes everything else possible.

This campaign funds the storage systems, display mounts, archival materials, and protective equipment needed to house Solaria's growing collections properly. It is unglamorous and entirely essential — the difference between specimens that last generations and ones that don't.

Other Ways to Support Solaria

Solaria is grateful for support in all its forms — and there are many ways to be part of this unfolding beyond these campaigns.

We welcome donations of money in any amount at any time, as well as gifts of rocks, crystals, minerals, fossils, geological specimens, and collections of any size. Whether it is a single stone from a rockhounding adventure or a lifetime of gathering, every piece is received with care and given a meaningful home.

There are also many other ways to support Solaria — from sharing our story, to offering skills, expertise, or in-kind contributions, to simply showing up and saying hello.

To explore the full range of ways to connect and contribute, please visit our Support Solaria page.