Auckland Libraries Research

12/10/2026

Experience Auckland's local history through the lens of the African diaspora at our latest exhibition at Central Library.

African Voices: Stories of the Lands is a collection of five oral history interviews featuring people who have played active roles in African diasporic communities and community engagement across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Created through the Auckland Libraries Content Creation Fund, this project was supported by Auckland Libraries and brought to life by the community.

Learn more: 🔗 https://bit.ly/49X5SDR

Listen to the oral histories: 🎧 https://bit.ly/4ziRFeJ

The recordings explore topics including:

• Migration journeys
• Staying connected to culture and ancestry in new lands
• Community building and forming organisations
• Relationships to people and places in Auckland

Visit the exhibition to discover the stories behind the voices and learn more about these individuals' contributions to Auckland's history.

📍 Central City Library, Ground Floor (next to Honey Café)

📅 8 October to 30 October

📸 Image credit: Lema Shamamba, photographed by Synthia Bahati, 2025. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1966-013. Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact Auckland Libraries.

08/10/2026

📖 Asked and Answered:

Family history research isn’t just about birth, marriage, and death dates. Sometimes, resources can inspire nostalgia, even for an era we weren’t around to experience. One such resource is school yearbooks and magazines. Dive into the details of your parents’ or grandparents’ college years with articles and photographs of their school activities. Some of our yearbook collections, which span the length of Tāmaki Makaurau, from Mahurangi College to Waiuku College, are still being added to each year, so why not take a look and see if your own college years feature?

Of course, the more obvious hidden gems inside school yearbooks and magazines are photographs of family members as students, articles about their activities, and awards recognition. But there are less obvious reasons to use these books in your research.

Recently, we have received a number of family history-related requests where the information that really made a difference was found in school yearbooks. For one, we used college yearbooks from the 1960s and 1970s to show how well-regarded and valued one of the teachers had been. The researcher learned how fondly their long-lost relative was spoken of following her death. In this example, the teacher had no close relatives to remember some of the stories in these books, and reading students’ thanks brought her into clearer focus for the researcher.

To find school yearbooks and magazines, search the catalogue for the name of the school or the name of the school magazine. For more assistance, submit a query through our research query form 👉 https://bit.ly/4yM3MRC

Our family history research guide 👉 https://bit.ly/4y5cwBe

📸 Fundraising Project, Pukekohe, 1979. Photographer unknown. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 3004-0182.

08/10/2026

In our oral history collections, you can discover voices from a wide range of backgrounds. Join us for our curated Heritage Feast playlist, where every dish tells a story and every flavour offers a glimpse into the rich cultural mosaic of our communities. May this shared table nourish not only the body, but also our connection to one another and to the histories we carry.

Tāmaki Makaurau is a vibrant multicultural city, and its diversity is expressed through many facets of its culture, especially kai. Food is more than nourishment; it is memory carried on the tongue, heritage passed from hand to hand, and a celebration of belonging. Through treasured recipes, familiar flavours, and methods of preparation, kai carries the stories of generations and the journeys that brought people here.

🍽️🎧 Pull up a seat at our shared table and listen to the Heritage Feast playlist here: https://bit.ly/4dspjq9.

📸 Photographer: Ron Thomas Bateman Clark. A feast in Viseisei village, 1971. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1207-2173.

07/10/2026

06/10/2026

05/10/2026

Are you curious about where your family came from, the stories behind your ancestors, or the history hidden in your family tree? 🔍

We’re excited to be sponsoring and exhibiting at the Auckland Family History Expo from 9-11 October at King’s College, Ōtāhuhu, as part of the Auckland Heritage Festival.

Whether you’re just starting your family history journey or you’re a seasoned researcher, come along and explore the wealth of heritage resources available through Auckland Libraries.

You’ll also have the chance to hear from our experts Andrew Henry (Heritage), Mihi Henare, and Seonaid Harvey (Research Services) as part of the Expo speaker programme.

Come and chat with the team, discover new research tools, and uncover the stories that connect you to the past.

📍 King’s College, Ōtāhuhu
📅 9-11 October
🔗 More information: https://bit.ly/4ds32sD

📸: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1054-0547

04/10/2026

📑🗃️ Manuscript Mondays No. 20

Few Auckland mayors left a greater impression on Tāmaki Makaurau than John Andrew Charles Allum. Allum is best known for leading the movement that eventually built the long-debated Auckland Harbour Bridge. He became the first chairman of the Bridge Authority in 1950 and held onto the post until 1971, just a year before his death. He also became notorious for promoting a deeply unpopular sewage dumping scheme that would have seen untreated refuse pouring into the Waitematā Harbour. Support for this and other unpopular policies he championed eventually led to his mayoral election defeat in November 1953.

London-born, Allum moved to New Zealand at the age of 20 and was elected to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in 1919. The next year, he became a member of the Auckland City Council and served on the council until 1929. He returned to the council in 1938, where he served as deputy mayor as the Second World War broke out. He finally achieved the highest post in May 1941, serving until shortly after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

During his term in office, Allum elevated the mayoralty to a near-kingly status within New Zealand. The material that he donated to Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections reflects this attitude. Among the records are letters exchanged with Governors-General Cyril Newall, Bernard Freyberg, and Willoughby Norrie, a letter from Edmund Hillary, and a letter from Air Marshal Keith Park. Allum’s presence in Auckland politics is also felt across many other Heritage Collections, demonstrating his wide influence in local politics.

The J. A. C. Allum collection has been digitised and can be found on Kura Heritage Collections Online here: https://bit.ly/47xfV0S.

If you are interested in knowing more about the J. A. C. Allum Collection or other archival collections held by Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, contact us to make an enquiry: https://bit.ly/4q2Si7y.

Image Reference: Address to Bernard Freyberg by the Mayor, Councillors and Citizens of the City of Auckland, 10 June 1952. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZMS-0004-40.

30/09/2026

Come join us for Auckland Heritage Festival as we celebrate kai and heritage. We have an amazing line-up of FREE talks, book launches, experiences and exhibitions.

Heritage Talks

Takeaway Lives: Food Memory & Migration
Saturday 3 October, 2-3PM (Booking Required)
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2026/takeaway-lives-food-memory-migration/auckland

Returning Home: Writing the Filipino Experience
Thursday 8 October, 6:30-7:30PM (Booking Required)
https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/returning-home-writing-the-filipino-experience-tickets-1999337145222

Heritage Book Launch

Ponsonby People's Union: Book Launch - Celebration of activism with music, kōrero and kai.
Sunday 11 October, 1PM-4PM
https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/ponsonby-peoples-union-book-launch-tickets-2000730493765

Heritage Experiences

Piringatahi: Heritage Up Close
View an array cookbooks from 1714 to present.
Thursday 8 October, 2-3pm (Booking Required)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/piringatahi-a-heritage-feast-tickets-1992458508033

Ngā Reka o te Kāinga : A Taste of Home
Recipe sharing and scrapbooking, to make our own community cookbook
Thursday 8 October, 3:30-5:30pm (No booking required)
https://www.facebook.com/share/19LR7dWUgT/

Heritage Exhibitions

Te Kai Hapori ō Tāmaki: The Community Food of Tāmaki
Opens October 6 @ 10am
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CV1sJWvKs/

King Pin: Dave Cameron's Boxing & Wrestling Collection
Opens October 7 @ 10am
https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/events/2026/10/king-pin-dave-cameron-s-boxing-and-wrestling-collection/?source=/heritage-festival/heritage-festival-events/

Physical pamphlets for Central City Hub are available at library desks

30/09/2026

Inspired by the popular Fat Bear Week competition, Auckland Council Archives launched its own heavyweight contest: Fat Book Week. 🐻

And the winner is... ACC 200, item 2! 🏆

Weighing in at an impressive 19.95kg, this volume of 1935-1944 newspaper clippings very nearly exceeded the capacity of the scales provided. Made up almost entirely of paper and glue, it's proof that you don't need metal fittings or wooden boards to pack a serious punch.

In fact, the winning book wasn't the tallest, widest, or thickest contender. Some of the other entries even featured metal spines or solid wooden boards. It just goes to show: you can't judge a book by its cover.

Final standings:

🥇 ACC 200, item 2 - 19.95kg
🥈 ACC 200, item 31 - 15.55kg
🥉 ACC 101, item 34 - 13.6kg
📚 ACC 165, item 5 - 9.95kg
📚 ACC 182, item 5 - 9.85kg
📚 MRB 127, item 7 - 7.2kg

A very hearty thank you to everyone who voted and followed along with Fat Book Week. ❤️