Heritage et AL

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 ...

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...

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 have a long and significant history in Aotearoa New Zealand. The first recorded Chinese migrant to New Zealand, Wong Ahpoo Hock Ting (better known as Appo Hocton), arrived in Nelson in 1842. Others followed, but it was not until the Otago gold rush of the 1860s, and the invitation extended to experienced Chinese miners in Victoria, Australia, that Chinese migration increased significantly. Many of these early migrants came from Guangdong Province in southern China, particularly the districts of Panyu, Dongguan, Xinhui and Zhongshan. Most were sojourners who hoped to earn money before returning home. However, some settled permanently, establishing families, businesses and communities that would shape New Zealand's social and economic landscape. Figure 1 Free Lance 7 January 1901 p7 As C...

  Ben Schrader, Theatres, cinemas and halls – Early 20 th century, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand   (accessed 06 May 2026). In the process of curating our latest heritage exhibition Encore! we uncovered an extraordinary wealth of material across our Heritage Collections about music in Auckland and the different Central City venues at which musicians have performed. We quickly found that we could not include everything we wanted to. This was partly because of the limitations of the physical space and partly having to narrow down what we focused on. His Majesty’s Theatre was one of the venues that did not make the final selection for the exhibition. However, the material we hold about the theatre within Heritage Collections is worth sharing and the theatre’s history, along with the dramatic story behind its untimely demise, shows that it was an important and valued part of Auckland’s musical and cultural life and deserves to be acknowledged. The Overture – sett...