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Chinese family history in Auckland

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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...
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Auckland’s lost treasure: His Majesty’s Theatre and Arcade, Queen Street (1902 – 1987)

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  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...
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Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Diane and Gary Hebley Aotearoa New Zealand children’s literature collection

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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 Gary, writer and illustrator, wife and husband, have been involved for many years in reading, creating, teaching and writing about NZ books for children. In 1997 they received the New Zealand Children’s Literature Association’s Joint Award for Distinguished Services to Children’s Literature - now known as the Storylines Betty Gilderdale Award . Diane was awarded the first doctorate in Aotearoa on children’s literature, culminating in her book, The Power of Place: Landscape in NZ Children’s Fiction, 1970-1989 (1998) .  We discussed the collection in the podcast below:   Ngā Pātaka Kōrero - Auckland Libraries · NZ children's book collections with Andrew Henry Whilst the library only very selectively accepts offers of formed research collections there were many reasons wh...
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Listen up! Music and the library

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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’ music collection and its connections with the city’s music communities.  Three display cases show how Auckland Libraries has championed engagement with music through its lending and Heritage Collections, as well as through events and public programming. Our seven vertical cabinets display images of music playing devices and formats, showing their evolution over time. Many of these formats have been, and continue to be, available to borrow or hear at the library.  Below are some of the images that did not make it into the display. Sheet music - Audrey playing the piano  Ron Clark. Audrey playing the piano. 1960s. Photo ref: 1207-0452 This photograph, taken in the 1960s by amateur photographer Ron Clark, is one of many that you can find on Kura Heritage Collections Online sh...
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