WellingtonLocal History |  | |
| New Books | Databases | Our heritage resources | Māori | Suburb histories | Web links | ||
What's new here |
The Land of Tara and they who settled it, by Elsdon Best | |
New books | |
 | Nga tupuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Volume 4, by Sandra Clarke and Neville Gilmore. (2007) Short biographies and some portraits of Māori associated with the sale of Port Nicolson land in the 1840s. Read more... |
 | Aberhart, published alongside City Gallery Wellington's exhibition "Aberhart". (2007) |
Hold very tight please! : the cable cars of New Zealand, Don McAra.
Although mainly focusing on Dunedin, it does feature Wellington's original Kelburn cable car. (2007)
Miramar Rangers : 100 years, by Neill Atkinson & Tod Purser. (2007)
Our local history collection
- Search our catalogue for Wellington history books
- Browse the shelves at 993.141 (check both the lending and reference, large and normal sized book sections)
- Search one of our databases
- Explore our local history and Māori Te Whanganui-a-Tara webpages
- Check out our Postcard Collection - search for Wellington postcards here
- Search local newspapers by logging into ProQuest ANZ Newsstand
- Explore our ephemera and poster collections
- Ask our local history specialists a question by filling out our online enquiry form or calling 801 4114
- Check out our local history specialist's website recommendations
Our Databases
- Wellington Heritage Index
- Evening Post Clippings Index, 1927-1977
- Master mariners' database
- More databases
Our local history webpages
- Brooklyn
- Island Bay
- Karori
- Khandallah
- Miramar & Seatoun
- Newtown & Berhampore
- Tawa
- The Land of Tara and they who settled it, by Elsdon Best (1919)
- The Rosanna Settlers, by Hilda McDonnell (2002)
- Wellington architecture and building heritage
- Wellington Trams
- Notes on Port Nicholson and natives, 1839 by Charles Heaphy
- Twelve months in Wellington by John Wood, (1843)
- Wahine Disaster
- 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand
- Genealogy
- Recommended web-links
Local history websites
These are some key Wellington local history sites. There are further recommended links in other sections of our site, for example Genealogy, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Kid's Catalog Wellington links.
- Wellington GenWeb
The main purpose of this Wellington site is to bring together the genealogical sources of the Wellington area to help with your family research. Also contains links to key other sites. - National Library of New Zealand
Although having a national focus, the National Library's website, catalogues and web directory include local sources. The photographic database Time-frames is particularly useful for historical research. The Kilbirnie-Lyall Bay Community Centre Oral History Project is another great resource. - Papers Past (Wellington newspapers)
is another National Library initiative. Papers available (some incomplete) include :
Evening Post (1865-1915)
New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser (1842-1843)
New Zealand Free Lance (1900-1909)
New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator (1839-1844)
New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian (1844-1865)
Wellington Independent (1860-1874) - Museum of Wellington City and Sea
Preserving, presenting and promoting Wellington's heritage, harbour, city & sea. - Helen's page of New Zealand history
Focusing mainly on Wellington and the lower North Island, this growing site contains early Wellington directories, passenger lists and a mine of other local history information. - Archives New Zealand
A wealth of information is housed in government records. - Wellington City Archives
Information about the activities and functions of Wellington City Council since its establishment (and therefore the development of Wellington city). - Te Ao Hou : the new world magazine, Poneke references
Te Ao Hou was published from 1952 to 1976 by the Māori Affairs Department in New Zealand Aotearoa. According to its first editorial, Te Ao Hou aimed "to provide interesting and informative reading ...where all questions of interest to the Maori can be discussed." - New Zealand History resource network
Essays, indexes, biographies, and links, all with a site search. - Te Papa
New Zealand's National Museum. - New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
Fully searchable. Try browsing the Wellington search,
or read specific sources such as Early Wellington, by Louis Ward, New Zealand's Burning: the settler's world in the mid 1880s by Rollo Arnold, ch. 7 includes Wellington province. Also Chapter 14 discusses Port Nicholson 1885, Wellington as 'head' port of the 'Cook Strait lake', and Wellington as the main interprovincial node. - Early Electoral Rolls for Wellington
Early electoral information, mainly from the 1850s. - Wellington Almanack
Wellington Trade and Street Directories from 1864, 1865 and 1866. - Wellington City Council
Contains heritage walk information as well as the history of the region.
