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Ā mātou kōrero
Discover our stories

Scroll this page to find and read articles about our work and some interesting archives we have in our collections. Read about Aotearoa New Zealand's constitutional documents that are in He Tohu. Have a look at our war art and online exhibitions.

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Articles and stories

Vista through harakeke (flax) at low tide, looking across the Tauranga Harbour to Matakana Island and Bowentown.

Honouring survivors, reflecting on Royal Commission findings

On the National Day of Reflection, we paused to reflect on the experiences of people who were abused while in care. We honoured their strength in sharing their experiences with the Royal Commission. We also reflected on the Commission’s findings.

Image of Greg O'Brien in a blue jersey with a white shirt underneath, standing by one of his artworks with crossed arms.
Photo Story

Celebrating 118 years of the ‘School Journal’

To celebrate 118 years of the ‘School Journal’, we invited writer, artist, poet and curator Gregory O’Brien to share his thoughts about 'School Journals'.

We invited writer, artist, poet and curator Gregory O’Brien to share his thoughts about the 'School Journals' in a guest blog.

A man wearing glasses, green shirt and black pant is pushing a yellow trolley. A box is kept on the trolley.
Announcements

The first taonga moved to the new archival building Te Rua

Wellington kaimahi from Archives New Zealand and National Library New Zealand have moved into our new building, Te Rua. So now millions of taonga from our collections are also relocating to the new building.

A handwritten note written in red ink pasted on an old book cover
Discover

Medical intrigue in the archives

A selection of research from late 19th-early 20th century medical casebooks.

A group of people gathered in the early morning. facing a large modern building with geometric patterns on its facade. The building features an inscription in te reo Māori.
Quick Read

Official blessing of Te Rua, the new archival building

Read about the blessing ceremony of Te Rua, the new archival building in Wellington.

Hand drawn drawings of a flying machine on an old paper. Some text written in black.

Patent specifications show the storied history of Kiwi ingenuity

We hold tens of thousands of examples of kiwis inventing and improving upon products, processes, and new experiences.

An old map showing plan of a district

Researching the Land Deeds records

The Deeds are high-use records at our reading room in Christchurch, covering Canterbury, Westland, Nelson and Marlborough.

3 mean standing on snow with mountaineering gear. Man on the left is standing behind a film camera

He arawātea 'tūturu' ki te whakaora ā-ataata nei i ngā tīpuna A ‘reel’ opportunity bringing the past to life

Find out about the family connection that one of our archivists has with one of the archives in our holdings.

Bunch of old papers with handwritten signatures on a black background

Te Petihana Reo Māori The Māori Language Petition

Tūhuratia ngā kōrero mō Te Petihana Reo Māori, mai i te kōkiritanga, tae atu ki te hunga whai wāhi me ngā wāhi e kite ai koe i a ia i tēnei rā.

Discover the story of Te Petihana Reo Māori, the Māori Language Petition, from how it happened, who was involved and how you can see it today.

2 individuals in navy blue lab coats and light blue gloves standing at a table in a conservation lab, holding an artifact, with documents and labelled boxes marked 'Treatment in Progress' around them, suggesting a document preservation setting.
Discover

Te whakahaere i ngā kohinga whakawehi ki Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Dealing with killer collections at Archives New Zealand

Sometimes working with archives can be dangerous. Learn more about the unusual and potentially hazardous items we've come across at here at Archives New Zealand.

2 people looking at a vinyl record.
Discover

Ko tā Utaina he hura i tētahi wāhanga mīharo o te hītori puoro o Aotearoa Utaina uncovers a special piece of Aotearoa New Zealand’s music history

Read the story behind the groundbreaking song Blue Smoke and find out how the Utaina team rediscovered a one-of-a-kind version of it in our holdings.

3 people in costume mid performance.
Discover

Ngā taonga whakamīharo — he kōrero mō nga pūkete āniwaniwa Wonderous treasures — a conversation about rainbow records

Listen to an interview with PrideNZ and learn more about archives related to rainbow communities in our holdings. We’ll also share highlights from digitised records discussed in the interview.

2 women shaking hands while 2 men stand next to them.
Discover

Te whakatere haere i te hītori neke atu i te rautau te roa o ngā kaupapahere ki tāwāhi Navigating over 100 years of foreign policy history

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has released a guide about how to navigate historical records held here at Archives New Zealand. Find out more about this collection of records and how the guide came to be.

Woman in mustard t-shirt and red jacket holding a sheet of paper with other documents in front of her.
Discover

Ngā wāhine kei ngā pūranga - ngā reo o mua e whakaatu ana i ā rātau kōrero whakaaroha Women in the archives — early voices tell poignant stories

Principal advisor Stefanie Lash reflects on how ordinary women appear — and don’t appear — in the government record.

Top view photo of a snow clad mountain and a floatplane flying in the sky

Ka huraina e Utaina ngā pūkete pāka ā-motu ahurei Utaina unearths unique national park records

Find out more about how the Utaina project team is rediscovering the records in our holdings. We’ll share some unique items from the archives, as well as the fascinating stories behind them.

Architect's drawings of a house with black outlines and filled with yellow and orange colour.
Discover

E whakamanahia ana e UNESCO Ngā Pūranga Kāwanatanga Porowini a Waitaha UNESCO recognises Canterbury Provincial Government Archives

The Canterbury Provincial Government Archives have been inscribed on the Aotearoa New Zealand Register of the Memory of the World. Learn more about the significance of these unique records and view recently digitised items online.

Craggy green mountains and a blue and orange sky dotted with clouds are reflected in water. A person is standing near the edge of the water.
Discover

Te kawe i ngā pūranga ki te iwi mā te whakamatihiko  Taking archives to the people with digitisation

Learn more about what our digitisation project team Te Maeatanga achieved and what records you can now access online.

Thumb prints of left and right thumb on an old yellowed paper
Discover

Ngā taha e rua o tētahi tapukara The mixed blessing of a fingerprint

Find out how our digitisation programme, Te Maeatanga, connected Chinese New Zealanders with their ancestors by digitally imaging the poll tax certificates that are a record of their entry into Aotearoa New Zealand.

Pencil sketches of kiwi bird and kowhai flower in circles drawn on an old yellowed paper

Te toi taketake i muri i ngā uka o Aotearoa The original art behind Aotearoa’s coins

In 1967, New Zealand replaced pounds, shillings and pence with dollars and cents. Discover the story behind the new coin designs as we share some of the original artwork for the first time.

Colourful image
Discover

LGBTQIA+ kua mumuratia LGBTQIA+ illuminated

A collection of stories in the archives that touch on lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand.

two hands with white gloves holding a black and white photo with edges on a dark blue background

Let’s work hand in glove

Conservator Anna Whitehead explains why it’s important to wear gloves if you’re handling sensitive archives, and when it’s acceptable to have clean, dry hands instead.

A woman with brown hair, wearing a black jacket is standing in front of a computer monitor displaying a black and white photo

Digitising in the cool store

Archivist Chrissy Knight on how we met an urgent request to digitise historic photographs for the Prime Minister's visit to Sāmoa..

A piece of paper with pieces missing at the centre sits on an illuminated table. Next to the paper is a pair of tweezers and a pot of paste.h a brush inside it.

Conserving delicate Sāmoan land records

Conservator Anna Whitehead on the challenge of treating century-old records affected by the Pacific region’s high humidity.

A group of performers gather around a guitar.

Rotuman records in our holdings

Discover records about Rotuma and the Rotuman culture in Aotearoa – and help us learn more about the story they tell.

An old map with yellowed paper with words Map of Samoa and Pacific ocean written on it

The rise of the Mau and the fall of colonial rule in Sāmoa

The Mau movement for Sāmoan independence in the archives.

A hand holding a phone with a map on a brown blurred background
Long Story

From atoms to pixels – digitising very large format archives

Learn why we digitised the biggest items in our holdings – and watch our video to discover how we did it.

Advertisements for diamonds in a 1945 Clements and Holmes catalogue
Long Story

Capturing creativity in the Copyright Applications

A look at some of the unique material contained in Copyright Applications between 1886-1963

Book cover of the Register of the Lands and Titles Commission, 1903-1921
Long Story

Historic Sāmoan land information now available online

Accessing important archives about the historic ownership of land in Sāmoa has never been easier, thanks to the work undertaken by our digitisation team

Coupon from Gay Task Force urging people who had signed the petition against homosexual law reform to remove their name
Long Story

Ngā Whakahou Ture Tāne Moe Tāne mā ngā pūranga Homosexual Law Reform through the archives

Explore the passing of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill 35 years on through the archives

Black map of Christchurch dated 1850
Quick Read

Resilient archives, resilient communities

Christchurch Regional Archivist Joanna Condon looks at how archives can support communities in being resilient in the face of natural disasters

A portrait of Captain W. H. Stainton with his arms folded, wearing his uniform.
Quick Read

First World War medal recipient photographs

Take a look at some of the photos of First World War gallantry medal winners

Rows of houses sit on a hillside. In the foreground there are parked cars and people walking on the footpath.
Quick Read

Housing in New Zealand

A look at some of the different homes and houses in New Zealand through the archives

A portrait of Alexander Mee in his uniform.
Long Story

Alexander Mee

Discover the life of Private Alexander Mee through his WW1 service and probate files

A painting of a war scene. A group of vehicles are on dusty terrain. Some are engulfed in flames.
Quick Read

The Breakout at Minqar Qaim

Read about the breakout at Minqar Qaim that occurred in North Africa during the Second World War

A framed painting of 4 soldiers taking a break and preparing a beverage.
Quick Read

The National Collection of War Art: Seismic hanging system

Read more about the project to replace the hanging system used for the National Collection of War Art.

A message that was sent in a bottle. The paper is stained and coming apart at the fold lines.
Quick Read

Sending out an SOS

Ever wondered what happens when a message in a bottle is found? A file held at our Wellington archive shows how these messages were investigated by the Marine Department in the first half of the twentieth century

An inhalation station featuring cone shaped contraptions with various jars attached to them.
Quick Read

The 1918 Influenza Outbreak in New Zealand

COVID-19 has caused interest in New Zealand's worst disease outbreak, the 1918 Influenza Epidemic. Read more about how that epidemic impacted a rural community in the Bay of Plenty

An oil painting of Major General Sir Bernard Freyberg. He is holding binoculars and looking out into the distance.
Quick Read

War art at home

In 1981, we began gathering the National Collection of War Art to Archives NZ from art institutions around the country. Now the full variety of these 1500+ works can be viewed in our digital collection.

A page of text from the project document for National Coming Out Day.
Quick Read

Pride in the archives

In recognition of Pride events and celebrations wrapping up around the country, we'd like to highlight a selection of LGBTQIA+ records we hold that show the diversity of archives available to the public.

Black and white circular seal with words 'The native land court of New Zealand'.
Photo Story

Kā puna kōrero o Kāi Tahu Voices of our ancestors

Along with representatives of Ngāi Tahu communities in Canterbury and Westland, our Christchurch staff have identified, digitised and made available online significant local public archives documenting transactions between Ngāi Tahu and the Government.

Passport photo of Clifford Glen Porter
Photo Story

The Invincibles: Passport applications

Passport photos and application forms for the 1924/25 All Blacks squad "The Invincibles"

A statue of an angel sits atop a memorial
Quick Read

The Wreck of the SS Penguin

On February 12, 1909, the steam ship “Penguin” departed Picton for Wellington in favourable conditions, carrying over 100 passengers and crew. By the end of the night over two thirds of those on board had lost their lives

Calligraphic writings in English, on an old yellowed paper and four black and white photos in each corner
Photo Story

Richard Seddon's Christmas cards

A selection of Christmas cards from Richard Seddon’s collection.

Seven people smiling for a photo and one person sitting holding a camera with a painted bark cloth on the wall behind
Quick Read

Japanese star visits the archives

The Rugby World Cup kicks off in Japan this month and Archives New Zealand has received several requests for film footage relating to rugby. Back in March Japanese tv station NHK paid us a visit to do some onsite filming with Japanese actor Gaku Hamada

An aerial photo showing the construction of Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Photo Story

Auckland Harbour Bridge

A selection of images surrounding the construction of Auckland Harbour Bridge

Three slightly torn and yellowed papers with writing in dark brown on a black background
Quick Read

Ko wai ngā rangatira i waitohu i He Whakaputanga? Who were the rangatira who signed He Whakaputanga?

He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni - known in English as the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand – signalled the emergence of Māori authority on the world stage

Passport photo of Carmen Rupe attached to application file.
Quick Read

Carmen's new passport

Carmen Rupe, or simply ‘Carmen’ was a New Zealand-Australian drag performer, brothel keeper, activist, political candidate, and HIV/AIDS activist

A section of preliminary plans for an Auckland underground station, showing a cross section of the platform and train.
Photo Story

Auckland Underground

The need for improved Auckland public transport occupied civic minds for decades. Various reports and plans produced from the 1920s to the 1970s include photographs of buildings potentially threatened by the construction of underground rail lines

A yellowed map of a mine with the title 'Plan of Lower Section of New Hauraki Gold Properties'
Photo Story

Goldmining in the Coromandel

A collection of records that illustrate goldmining on the Coromandel peninsula showing what it was like to live and work in the goldfields

Portrait of Chow Wye se
Photo Story

Chinese portraits

A small selection of photographs from the Certificates of Registration issued by the Dunedin Collector of Customs

A close up of compass points on an old map
Quick Read

Colonial cartography

Highlighting some of the earliest survey maps of the Canterbury, Westland, Nelson and Marlborough Land Districts

Handwritten letter from 1898 on yellowing ruled paper
Quick Read

He Tohu Rangatira - Māori Women & the 1893 Suffrage Petition

Ngā kōrero o ngā Wāhine Māori i waitohu i te petihana mana pōti 1893.

Stories of Māori Women who signed the 1893 suffrage petition

A passage of text with the phrase '"Person" includes woman' highlighted
Quick Read

The definition of a woman in 1893

The 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition states ‘that large numbers of Women in the Colony have for several years petitioned Parliament to extend franchise to them’. But how did they define ‘Women’? Who was included and excluded in this definition?

The He Tohu exhibition at National Library of New Zealand
Long Story

Conservation of the He Tohu documents

He Tohu and the conservation work that went into the display of our precious taonga

View more

Explore He Whakaputanga, te Tiriti and the Women's Suffrage Petition

Photo of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni - the New Zealand declaration of independence
Long Story

He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni The Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand

He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – e mōhiotia ana ki te reo Ingarihi ko te Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand – he tuhinga turepapa tēnei, otirā he hiranga tuku iho, he hiranga ahurea.

He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – known in English as the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand – is a constitutional document of historical and cultural significance

Pages from the Treaty of Waitangi
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Te Tiriti o Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi

Ko Te Tiriti o Waitangi — e mōhiotia ana ki te reo Pākehā ko te Treaty of Waitangi — he whakaaetanga o ngā tangata whenua me te Karauna. Tūhuratia ngā kōrero mō Te Tiriti, mai i te timatanga ki tēnei rā.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi — known in English as the Treaty of Waitangi — is an agreement between tangata whenua and the British Crown. Discover the story of te Tiriti, from how it happened to where it is today.

Text written on an old grey paper with a heading and the first letter of each sentence written in a calligraphic style.
Quick Read

Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wāhine The Women's Suffrage Petition

When Governor Glasgow signed the Electoral Bill on 19 September 1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing nation in the world where women had won the right to vote.

In 1893 Aotearoa New Zealand became the first country in the world in which all women gained the right to vote in general elections — thanks to the women who created, organised and signed the Women’s Suffrage Petition.

War art and online exhibitions

An oil painting of a war scene. Two soldiers walk through rubble. One is injured and assisted by the other.
Photo Story

Ngā Toi a Tū War art

Discover the National Collection of War Art

Coloured illustration of a black moth and words written on the top Pūrerehua (Kahukura) on a background of circular blue patterns
Discover

Ngā Whakaputanga Kura School Publications

In this online exhibition, explore newly digitised School Publications artworks by celebrated New Zealand artists. You'll also find out about the history of School Publications and how we acquired the records related to them.

Old coloured photo of an orchestra performing on a stage

Te Tira Pūoro o Aotearoa (NZSO) The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO)

'From the Archives — New Zealand Symphony Orchestra' online exhibition is a collaboration between Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Te Tira Pūoro o Aotearoa (NZSO), and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

black and white photo of a road sign on the left, a car, a scooter and a person wearing a robot constume walking on the road

He 80 tau o te Pokapū Kiriata ā-Motu. 80 years of the National Film Unit

Over six decades in the mid-twentieth century, the National Film Unit (NFU) made thousands of films about life in Aotearoa New Zealand. Discover the NFU’s work and history in our online exhibition.