Heritage et AL

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...

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...