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Frank Sargeson, James Laughlin & The River
What publication connects Frank Sargeson, Gertrude Stein and William Carlos Williams? This slight, 32-page pamphlet was gifted to Sargeson, one of New Zealand’s most celebrated writers of the 20th...
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When the Hall Speaks – Albany's King George V Coronation Hall
Albany’s King George V Coronation Hall. Photo: Janine Irvine, 2026.Time is what makes Albany’s hall remarkable. Unlike so many historic halls, long replaced, removed or updated beyond recognition,...
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August Hettig Collection: Photographing Tonga through the 20th century
August Hettig also known as Okusi/Aokosi Heti in Tonga. Portrait cropped from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1951-060-008....
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Auckland Library Heritage Trust John Stacpoole Scholarships 2026
Image: August Hettig. Maopa Choir, Nuku'alofa, Tonga, 1956. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1951-060-045. The Auckland Library Heritage Trust is a charitable trust that supports Auckland...
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Chinese family history in Auckland
Auckland is a multicultural city of around 1.7 million people. According to the 2023 Census, approximately 172,000 Aucklanders identify as Chinese. While many are recent migrants, Chinese communities...
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Auckland’s lost treasure: His Majesty’s Theatre and Arcade, Queen Street...
Ben Schrader, Theatres, cinemas and halls – Early 20th century, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand (accessed 06 May 2026).In the process of curating our latest heritage exhibition Encore!we...
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Diane and Gary Hebley Aotearoa New Zealand children’s literature collection
Andrew Henry recording the podcast track, Photographer: Julian Lubin, 2026.Last year we were offered a special donation of Aotearoa New Zealand children’s books from Diane and Gary Hebley.Diane and...
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Listen up! Music and the library
Complementing the new Heritage exhibition Encore!, the atrium display Listen up! at Central Library Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, on between 6 May –30 July 2026, celebrates the history of Auckland Libraries’...
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Needle on the Record - Dance Music in Tāmaki Makaurau, 1990s–2000s
Revisit Auckland in the 1990s and early 2000s, when dance music culture in Aotearoa was finding its pulse. Warehouses, nightclubs, bush parties and late-night radio built a scene that was energetic,...
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The Going West collection: an Aotearoa literary legacy
In this Heritage et AL Blog we feature guest writer James Littlewood. He reflects on his time working with the Going West Writers Festival Archive. As a bonus to this piece listen to James in...
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African Voices: The Stories of the Lands oral history collection
Celebrating African stories in Tāmaki MakaurauThis month we celebrate the rich heritage and influence the African Diaspora has had, and continues to have, in Tāmaki Makaurau. You can learn about it and...
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Salvaging a hidden history: the Auckland Unemployed Workers Rights Centre...
Written by Sue Bradford - John Stacpoole Scholar 2025In February 1983 I was one of the organisers of a public meeting of over a hundred people at the Pitt St Methodist Church Hall in Auckland. Called...
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Winstone Limited’s Formation and Growth
The name Winstone Limited (Ltd) may be familiar to those who have grown up or lived in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. But what might not be realised is the extent to which Winstone Ltd fostered the city's...
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Lived Land: Tiritiri Matangi before the sanctuary
Only a scenic 80-minute ferry ride from the heart of the Auckland CBD is Tiritiri Matangi Island. Sitting in the Hauraki Gulf just off the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, the island today is best known as a...
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The Church of England Grammar School: Conflicting Visions, Practical Realities
Image: Kinder House 1978. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 1213P-034-08. Photographer: Susanna Burton.Image: Kinder House 1978. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 1213P-034-11....
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Humble beginnings: the Auckland Mechanics Institute and the creation of the...
Today, the Auckland Public Library is a modern center of learning, community connection, and houses an abundance of books. Many of us see the library as a vital public necessity, something justifiably...
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Chaotic Beginnings: Local Governance in Auckland, 1841-1851
The Danger of Interesting TimesVoter turnout for the Auckland 2025 local body elections indicated that interest in local governance is at an all-time low. The region received the lowest turnout in the...
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Silence and resonance: memorialisation of infant mortality in Auckland,...
In October 1867, a milkman named William Stonex was on his morning rounds in Auckland Central when he noticed a collection of fabric lying in a gutter. He turned it over with his foot and, deciding...
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Awekura - Maps
Awekura is the name given to this blog and podcast series that showcases treasures within Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, presented by our library specialists. Awekura is a kupu drawn from...
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Awekura - Hiroshige, P Neville Barnett and Hilda Wiseman
Awekura is a kupu drawn from Māori weaponry, particularly the taiaha. It refers to the arero, the tongue of the taiaha, which is adorned with kura, red feathers. The term reflects both the physical...
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