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The Public Stand: An Ode to Avondale Racecourse

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The past, present and future of Avondale Racecourse There is currently debate about the fate of the Avondale Racecourse and the land usage proposed for the area. Heritage images show a long history related to horse racing at the track, but this area has also served the local community as green fields with well used sport fields, a market venue, bird nesting areas, and flood plan mitigations. With the end of racing at the site, the question of future best use for the 35-hectare site is up for consultation. Connecting community with this process is the Avondale Racecourse Alliance , whose website features a short video on a creative audio activation where we are invited to imagine the past, present and future of this space. The soundtrack was originally created for the event, The Public Stand 2: An Ode to Avondale Racecourse , a participatory ‘walk about’ presented as part of the 2025 Whau Arts Festival. Explore Avondale Racecourse through a self-guided audio walk Now, you can explore th...
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The United Nations at Auckland Libraries

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A rich selection of 20th-century pamphlets, books and serials published by the United Nations (UN) has been transferred to our rare books collection. This sample, produced from the late 1940s onwards, shows how the UN marketed and communicated its policies and work on globally significant issues to the public. Aside from documenting the core operations of the UN and other agencies, these publications also provide insight into the UN as a prolific publishing house, as well as trends in publication design, visual language, prose style and printing methods from the mid-20th century through to the decades before the internet. Image: Poster from the former UN Documents collection: The Freedom Charter of South Africa The United Nations: origins and purpose The UN was established in the final months of World War II as an intergovernmental organisation to maintain peace and security through collective action, following the failure of its predecessor, the League of Nations, to achieve this. Its...
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Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Frank Sargeson, James Laughlin & The River

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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 century, by James Laughlin ‘the publisher who single-handedly invented the canon of twentieth-century American modernism .’ This is a special copy notable for its rarity as well its associations; it was acquired by the library as part of a box lot at auction in 2018 .  James Laughlin was an American publisher and poet whose ‘decisions shaped English-language modernist poetry’ and an occasional publisher of Frank Sargeson.  This is not the only copy with famous literary provenance. Copies at the Beinecke Library at Yale University contain presentation inscriptions from Laughlin to Gertrude Stein and William Carlos Williams.  The river by James Laughlin, Norfolk, Conn. : New Directions, 1938, title page, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 813 LAU. Laughlin founded th...
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When the Hall Speaks – Albany's King George V Coronation Hall

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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, Albany’s 115-year-old Coronation Hall continues to function as a busy community meeting place. The building has heritage status, and maintenance is shared between Auckland Council and the volunteer Albany Hall Committee. The origins of Albany Coronation Hall Albany’s King George V Coronation Hall opened on 3 November 1911 with a celebratory ball attended by about 250 local residents who, according to Martin Perkinson in his 100th anniversary speech (10 December 2011), “made such a merry night of it that they left the ball just in time for milking” – setting a precedent for social merriment for years to come.  The origins of Albany Coronation HallThe idea for a community hall had been discussed since the 1890s, growing from the formation of the Albany Fruitgrowers’ Association in 18...
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Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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August Hettig Collection: Photographing Tonga through the 20th century

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August Hettig also known as Okusi/Aokosi Heti in Tonga. Portrait cropped from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1951-060-008.  https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photographers/id/5581/ From royal ceremonies to community and village life, the story of 20th century Tonga is vividly documented through the lens of August Hettig.  For more than 50 years, Tonga's only resident professional photographer captured the everyday moments that shaped the Kingdom during a period when much of its history was recorded through colonial narratives. Where written accounts often failed to reflect the richness and diversity of Tongan life, Hettig's camera offered an invaluable visual record. The August Hettig Collection is now cared for by Auckland Council Libraries and highlights the cultural vibrancy of Tonga throughout the 20th century.  Who was August Hettig? August Hettig was of German and Tongan heritage. From around 1916 until his death in 1974, he was for ...
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Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Auckland Library Heritage Trust John Stacpoole Scholarships 2026

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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 Libraries and Auckland Council to preserve, care for, add to, and promote Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections for the benefit of the people of Auckland. You can find out more about the work of the Trust via their website: www.alht.org.nz The Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections are one of New Zealand's key research destinations. They were originally established when Sir George Grey, 19th-century Governor of New Zealand and later Premier, gave his significant collection to the city of Auckland in the 1880s and has continued to grow since this time. The collections include photographs, maps, oral histories, manuscripts and archives, rare books and medieval manuscripts, ephemera and music; as well as Māori and Pacific heritage collections in all formats.  The Heritage Collections a...
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