Heritage et AL

Awekura is a blog and podcast series that highlights treasures within Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. In this series, library specialists provide a window into the world of these special collections.   Recently we opened Lupe I Vao Ese, a Pacific heritage exhibition at Auckland Central City Library. The phrase "Lupe I Vao Ese" is a poetic metaphor from Gagana Sāmoa, translating as "doves in different pastures." It expresses how measina - the cultural treasures of Moana Oceania - travel across time and place, carrying the voices of ancestors into the present and beyond.   Featuring in the exhibition and discussed in the interview below, Pamata Toleafoa, Curator Pasifika, highlights tapa as one of the measina displayed in the exhibition. Of interest is a contemporary [1983] unique ephemeral greeting card, made in tapa and depicting Tongan traditional dress.    Image: Front page of the ephemera. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections Eph-Item00012. T...

Ngako: The Collections Talk is a documentary film and podcast series showcasing taonga in Auckland Libraries’ heritage and research collections.  Explore the whole series in our current exhibition , on until 2 March 2024 at Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, the Central City Library. This audio playlist contains all the episodes from Ngako: The Collections Podcast, where we explore items and stories from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. Wanderlust - the war years In this episode we find meaning and history in the Auckland Tramping Club’s newsletter Wanderlust.  Archivist Sharon Smith shares insights gleaned from reading the Wanderlust magazine in the period of publication during the Second World War.  We are also joined by current Auckland Tramping Club members, Ian, Anna and Dennis, on the Club’s programme of tramps and their preparation for the upcoming Club centenary celebrations. Listen to the track here . Ava, kava, kawa In this episode we explore the world of ava...

The three decades following the conclusion of the Second World War saw a significant rise in migration to Aotearoa New Zealand. Pacific Islanders in particular were attracted to New Zealand through a scheme that aimed to address the labour shortages in process work and manufacturing. These low-skill, low-wage jobs were plentiful in the 1960s and 1970s, which resulted in an influx of immigrants to New Zealand, predominantly from the Pacific Islands, in order to fill these gaps in the workforce. This growth in the Polynesian population of New Zealand is represented by the fact that in 1966 there were just over 26,000 Pacific people in the country, and only ten years later the population was close to 66,000. Cook Islanders, Niueans and Tokelauans took advantage of their New Zealand citizenship by enjoying free access into the country, whilst Samoans and Tongans were specifically in demand as workers. The majority of the job openings that Pacific immigrants took were located in Auckland, s...

The great exploring expeditions of the 19th century often published accounts of their voyages in a series of large illustrated atlases. This particular atlas is part of the account of a French expedition, published as Voyage autour du monde : exécuté pendant les années 1836 et 1837 sur la Bonite commandée par m. Vaillant . It was acquired recently by Auckland Libraries and is currently on display in the exhibition Old & New: recent additions to Sir George Grey Special Collections together with another recent atlas purchase: An account of a voyage in search of La Perouse . Ref: Auguste Nicolas Vaillant. Voyage autour du monde : exécuté pendant les années 1836 et 1837 surla Bonite commandée par m. Vaillant. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, Printed 910 V13. In 1836 French naval officer Auguste-Nicolas Vaillant was given instructions for a voyage through the Pacific on the former troopship La Bonite. The main aim of the voyage was political – Vaillan...

Auckland Libraries holds some of the earliest printed materials in the Kiribati language , which was formerly known as Gilbertese. These translations are by Hiram Bingham II , who was the first person to translate the Bible into Kiribati, his wife Mrs. M. Clarissa Brewster Bingham , Hawaiian missionaries and Kiribati students. The library holds a number of these publications dating from 1860 onwards, which were acquired by Sir George Grey due to his interests in indigenous languages and philology . Hiram Bingham II and Clarissa went to Kiribati on the Morning Star , which was funded by 10 cent contributions from children across the United States. You can read Bingham II’s Story of the Morning Star via the Internet Archive. In addition to using religious texts as colonial tools, the missionaries in the Pacific also produced primers of grammar and arithmetic. The earliest publication we hold in Kiribati is Te Boki ni wareware , a Gilbert Island primer, also containing hymns...

In 2008 the New Zealand National Maritime Museum featured a 62 page document entitled 'Naval war plan for the attack of Auckland, New Zealand'. This had been produced as an intelligence exercise by visiting United States Naval officers a century before in 1908. They had come to Auckland as part of a visit by the 'Great White Fleet' of 16 United States battleships, and had spent six days in Auckland. Ref: Auckland Weekly News, A portion of the Great White Fleet at anchor on the waters of the Waitemat ā Harbour, 13 August 1908, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19080813-15-2.

Kia ora, Talofa lava, Kia Orana, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Bula vinaka, Namaste, Malo ni, Halo ola keta, Mauri, Fakatalofa atu and warm Pacific greetings. As many previous posts in this blog and our History Pin site have shown Auckland Libraries is very active documenting Pacific history. Ref: Auckland Council. Artwork by Fatu Feu'u at the Pacifica Living Arts Festival 2014. 11 November 2014. West Auckland Research Centre, Auckland Libraries. PAC-PLAF-2014-D-261. A key role in documenting history is contemporary collecting. We have an active and targeted collecting program around Pacific events like the Pacifica Living Arts Festival . If you attended you would have seen our librarians walking around, taking photographs and talking to people. This content then gets added to Local History Online , which is a combined collection of local history indexes to images, community newspapers and oral histories. We are in the process of adding audio visual content as ...

Listen to the stories of New Zealand immigrants in their own words. The Multicultural Oral History Project, one of many collections held at Research West , has seven recordings of the voices of people from the Pacific Islands, Europe and Asia. They talk of their lives in their original countries, their experience of immigration and settling in New Zealand. Image: Photographer  unknown, children in traditional costume dancing at the Ons Dorp Dutch Retirement Village, McLeod Road, Henderson c. 1990, Auckland Libraries, West Auckland Research Centre Print Collection Helen Tamatoa Born in 1925, on Niue Island, Helen was one of 10 children (three sisters and six brothers). Educated in the London Missionary School in Mutalau and the Govt School in Kofekofe, she married the Rev. Tamatua Pahetogia. The family moved to New Zealand in 1982, living first in Grey Lynn and later in Avondale. Listen to Helen Tamatoa Sefuiva Siaumau Saumaleula Saifoloi Born in Samoa, 1935, Sefuiva has t...

The church forms an important part of the life of many Pasifika communities. Over recent decades the streetscapes in many parts of South Auckland have been enhanced by the addition of large new churches serving Pacific Island congregations. Some of these churches make striking architectural statements. For instance, in the Ormiston Road Tongan Methodist Church, architect George Moala used both traditional Tongan forms and traditional materials such as coconut fibre. Expert Tongan craftsmen were brought in to help with the work. The church was opened in June 1990. Ref: Footprints 03324, interior, Tongan Methodist Church, Otara, 1990, photograph reproduced by permission of Fairfax Media, South Auckland Research Centre Almost all of the mainstream and many of the smaller denominations are represented by thriving Pacific Island congregations. Some South Auckland churches hold their Sunday services in 3 or 4 different languages. Ref: Footprints 03313, New home for church, Otara,...

Pasifika at Auckland Libraries is well underway and there is lots you can take part in . To get you in the mood, listen to the Pacific Islands music playlist  that has been specially created for this festival. You can also check out the  Pacific resources  at Auckland Libraries. This includes a range of heritage collections: online resources, Pacific Island family history resources (Central Auckland Research Centre), Pacific newspapers (South Auckland Research Centre) and reference materials at the research centres . There are also significant collections in the Sir George Grey Special Collections, including a tapa cloth book collected during Cooks' three voyages to the southern hemisphere. This has now been digitised and can be accessed online and you can read about the project to track down the other Cook tapa cloth books known to exist. To further celebrate and honour the contribution that Pacific Islands communities make to the cultural mix of peoples...

On 20 October 1976 Hillary College, Otara - now Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate - hosted the first Auckland Secondary Schools’ Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival. Just 6 groups and 40 performers from 4 schools took part (Aorere College, Mangere College, Seddon High School and Hillary College itself). The annual event was then held at a variety of schools. From 1996 it found a permanent home at the Manukau Sports Bowl in Clover Park. This offered the space to establish stage areas for different cultures: Māori, Cook Island, Niue, Samoa, Tonga. By this time a ‘Diversity’ stage for other cultures had also been added. The 25th Festival held at the Sports Bowl in March 2001 involved 13,000 performers and 162 groups from 52 schools. The festival is gathering strength even today. This year’s festival, which is now known in short as the ASB Polyfest , attracted 223 groups from 62 schools. See below for a small selection of images taken at various festivals over the years  (...

Today marks the start of the Pasifika festival. 'My pride, my treasure, my Samoa / O lo'u mitamitaga, o a'u measina, o lau Samoa' is the title of the new  collection of Samoan photos on Historypin . This collection covers both Samoa and American Samoa and was created from the heritage collections at Auckland Libraries. The images are mainly from the late 19th and early 20th century with a selection from the late 1980s and 1990s giving a more contemporary focus. Ref: AWNS-18980909-2-1, bush scene in Apia, 1898, Sir George Grey Special Collectio These photos capture the timeless essence of what is most important to Samoa; her land and her people and are a good way to mark the start of the Pasifika Festival. They bring together key places and events in Samoa and NZ - from the sliding rocks of Papasea, to the procession of Malietoa’s men on Coronation Day in the late 1800s, to the Bairds Intermediate Samoan group performance at the Otara Festival. To access the ...

Fakaalofa lahi atu. Niue Language Week runs this year from 13 to 19 October. The theme is 'Leveki mo e fakaaoga e Vagahau Niue – Treasure and use the Niue Language'. Did you know that Niueans represent our fourth-largest Pacific group in New Zealand? So it seems highly appropriate to celebrate the Niuean culture and language during this week. The language week has been organised largely by the Vagahau Niue Trust and Matakau Pulefakamotu Niue Okalana, with support from the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. Check out the ministry's Facebook page for more information and the programme to find out what is happening near you. Enjoy the selection of  heritage photos below, which are drawn from the heritage collections at Auckland Libraries, to celebrate Niue Language Week. Niuean royalty: Ref: AWNS-19001005-3-3, the King and Queen of Niue with the NZ Premier and Mrs Seddon, Niue, 1900, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Malo e lelei. Tongan Language Week is being celebrated from 1-8 September. The theme this year is Fakakoloa 'o Aotearoa 'aki 'etau Lea mo e Hiva Faka-tonga / Enriching Aotearoa with Tongan Language and Music. As part of the celebrations, there is a vibrant  Facebook page . Auckland Libraries has a number of heritage resources relating to Tonga. This include the following subjects: heritage and identity, the Birth Marriages Death index for Fiji and Tonga from 1858-1873, traditional medical practices, early photography in Tonga and Samoa from 1855-1900, Tongan art, early Tonga as the explorers saw it 1616-1810 and the biography of the King of Tonga. Also held in the heritage collections are images showing Tonga, so step back in time and take a walk down memory lane ... Royalty:  Ref: AWNS-19000831-5-6, Mafu Prince of Tonga, 1900, Sir George Grey Special Collections

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. ...