Heritage et AL

Matrimonial agencies and personal ads were the colonial era equivalent of today’s dating apps like Tinder. In 1885 the owner of Auckland’s only agency , Thomas Hannaford, claimed to have found 115 wives for socially isolated men. He was particularly proud of encouraging “many respectable English girls to wed Maori Chiefs” who were subsequently “living lovingly together”. He felt his match-making skills helped promote “the fusion of the races” and he petitioned Parliament to recognise his expertise in this area ( Star , 16 July 1885 ). Ref: Charles Dawes, Unidentified wedding couple, 1890s-1900s, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1142-D441. Hannaford started finding potential life partners for gentlemen in 1868. He also married people at “any day or hour they like.” His Queen Street offices were open for business between 10.00 am and 9.00 pm. Although scandal didn’t brew over such quickie marriage ceremonies here; in Australia, Holt’s Matrimonial Agency wa...

The outcome of the flag referendum on 30 March 2016 shows that many New Zealanders, by choosing to keep the current flag, are still happy to have the Union Jack on it. The voter turnout of 67.8 % may indicate that the third of the population who did not vote didn’t mind whether or not the Union Jack stayed or went. Ref: Auckland Weekly News, A guard of honour for the Governor at the hoisting of the flag, Devonport, May 30 1900,Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19000608-1-2. This was not the case a century ago when the ceremony of “unfurling the flag” became a popular event at schools across New Zealand during the late 1800’s and early twentieth century. These ceremonies were designed to instil national identity and pride in children, as well as make them appreciate the honour of the Union Jack, and by association, the country’s role in the British Empire. Ref: Flying the flag, Otahuhu, 11 August 1900, photograph reproduced courtesy of Otah...

Plaques, benches, statues, arches, stained glass window panes and many other things are commonly used to commemorate events (e.g. coronation of King Edward VIII), celebrate certain days (e.g. Arbour Day ) or to remember people who have passed away (e.g. soldiers who fell during a war). Tree planting is another way of marking and creating significance at these occasions and beyond. From digging the hole, the planting event itself to the ceremony, these stages can be viewed through the photographs drawn from the heritage collections at Auckland Libraries. Digging the hole: Ref: AWNS-19360527-50-5, tree planting ceremony, 1936, Sir George Grey Special Collections Digging the tree in: Ref: AWNS-19370519-55-3, tree planting ceremony in Invercargill, 1937, Sir George Grey Special Collections