Heritage et AL

Image: Pepa 10, Grey Pamphlets, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections “This is an announcement about the printing press. In ancient times these things were not familiar, and could only be written on parchment (skin of sheep). Then there was the printing press, in Britain in the year 1449. That was 400 years ago from then up to the present time”. This is a translation of the words on the poster shown above, printed in Rarotonga in 1849. It is a well-designed page including an ornament of a printing press which might have caused a stir, almost like a poster announcing the circus coming to town. For further context we can read about the arrival of the printing press in Rarotonga, and with it, literacy and the distribution of the Word of God, in the words of the London Missionary Society missionary, the Reverend Aaron Buzacott (1800 – 1864). His ‘Mission Life in the Pacific’ was published in 1866 and then reprinted as a facsimile edition in 1985. The chapter headings include details...

To mark Te Epetoma o te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Airani, Cook Islands Language Week, we have a special behind the scenes post today. This year is also particularly significant as today, 4 August, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Cook Islands achieving self-government. Last year David Ashman, the Preservation Manager at Auckland Libraries, performed conservation treatment work on The Cook Islands Proclamation (E Tuatua Akakite) of 1891. This was reported on earlier this year in both the  Cook Islands News  and the  Cook Islands Herald  as well as on the website of the  Cook Islands Museum and Library Society . The proclamation is described on the UNESCO Memory of  the  World  Register  for Asia/Pacific : A fragile and rare, one-paged document written in Maori, the language spoken by most of the population of the Cook Islands at that time, called the Proclamation (E Tutatua Akakite), signed by the Earl of Onslow, on 4th April, 1891...

Ref: Auckland City Council, the Beatles at the civic reception in front of the Auckland Town Hall, 1964, Auckland Libraries, 580-10702 On Monday 23 June, Mike Chunn from the NZ band Split Enz  spoke at the Central City Library about the influence that the Beatles had on him. Like many other Aucklanders, the 1964 concert at the Auckland Town Hall was highly memorable and a very exciting chance for NZers to see the Fab Four in the flesh. For Mike, the influence was even greater and inspired him to pursue a career in the music business. Ref: Auckland City Council, the Beatles at the civic reception in front of the Auckland Town Hall, 1964, Auckland Libraries, 580-10701 The Beatles played two nights in Auckland on the 24 and 25 June as part of their tour around NZ, also playing gigs at Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Described as "the moment that young New Zealand plugged into an international youth culture", just like the rest of the world, Beatlemania hit ...

During the First World War, over 2,000 Māori served under the Native Contingent and the Māori Pioneer Battalion. Conscription of Māori did not take place until 1917, prior to this date, Māori involvement was purely voluntary. Changes put in place in late 1915/early 1916 led to the disestablishment of the Native Contingent and the incorporation of Māori soldiers into the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion, which is more commonly known as the Māori Pioneer Battalion. Ref: Herman John Schmidt, three privates including Pitama probably of the NZ Maori Pioneer Battalion, no location, c. 1915/1916, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 31-P917

Updated 18 November 2016 On 23 April earlier this year members of the local Niuean community unveiled a unique war memorial in Mt Roskill’s War Memorial Park. This was the Niue Island World War I Roll of Honour : a polished black granite tablet listing the names of men from Niue Island who served in the New Zealand armed forces during the First World War: 150 men who served in the 3rd Māori Contingent and seven who served in other sections of the NZEF. Why did so many men from a tiny and remote Pacific island volunteer to serve in a war which overtly had little to do with them? Well, New Zealand had annexed both the Cook Islands and Niue in 1901. After war broke out in 1914, many local men from both protectorates were eager to enlist, some of them motivated by patriotism, most of them impelled by a sense of adventure, and the colonial administrators on the spot were keen to facilitate their recruitment. The New Zealand military authorities back home initially welcomed only volun...

Kia orana, happy Cook Islands Māori Language Week! Running from 4 to 10 August 2013, the aim of the language week is to celebrate the Cook Islands language and culture and to promote the teaching, learning and use of the language in every environment.  Enjoy the selection of  heritage photos below, which are drawn from the heritage collections of Auckland Weekly News at Auckland Libraries and learn a few words at the same time. Tangata / People: Image: The princess of Mauke: A good type of a Cook Island beauty. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19011212-08-02 . Image: People at Mauke 1901. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19011212-08-03 . Image: The Administrator and Staff, Rarotonga. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19050810-13-04 Ngai nooanga / Key locations: Image: Post and other Government offices at Avarua. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19001005-03-02. Image: Rarotaonga harbour, 1901. ...