Bringing History Into 2024: A Recap

There's a lot to choose from on Wellington City Recollect, but this list highlights some of our favourite local history projects and novelties found in the stacks.

Electric trams were introduced by the Wellington City Corporation in 1904 after many months of disruptive track-laying in the widest of our streets. The scheme proved a boost to the city and later line extensions aided growth in the 'outer suburbs' of Island Bay and Miramar.

Our full set of "Turton's Deeds" has been format-shifted from the original microfilm and includes minutes from the Māori Land Court (Ikaroa District) and land deeds in Te Reo which relate to Wellington, Taranaki, and the Hawkes Bay. The deeds were translated into English and compiled by Government employee Henry Hanson Turton.

This year we delved into a new format of digitised content with the new Local Theatre Collection. A huge range of posters advertising productions by Circa, Downstage, The New Players and BATS offer a trip down memory lane for theatre-goers of the 1970s and 80s.

The old rail bridge at what is now Seton Nossiter Park fell into disuse following the construction of the Tawa Flat Deviation. Flagged as a public safety issue, the RNZDF demolished the viaduct as part of a training exercise in 1951. This photograph comes from a set taken by both Defence Force and New Zealand Railways photographers.

Published from 1853 through to 1876, the Wellington Provincial Gazettes include Electoral Rolls, bylaws, receipts and notices pertaining to the lower North Island. Viewed in context, these 'blue books' shed light on the lives of early Wellingtonians in a settler colony.

In the summer of 1975 a photography enthusiast took their camera to the shops in Newlands and captured what they saw. The result is a series featuring families enjoying the height of summer in the rapidly expanding northern suburbs.

This 1902 poster advertises the sale of properties in "Trelissick", a new subdivision of Crofton. The estate later became part of Ngaio, with a slight name change to the adjacent Crofton Downs.

Following the the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, hundreds of displaced families were sent by train to other towns in the North Island while recovery efforts began. This photograph shows a group of passengers waiting for taxis to take them to temporary accommodation; given the relatively new use of cars, many private vehicles were lent out by members of automobile clubs around Wellington.

With our digitisation of Radio Active's magazine RAD and the following publication Emit, you can now read a run-down of the radio station’s activities, listings & reviews of local gigs, events and record releases as well as an insight into Wellington's alternative youth culture just as the members of Generation X were coming of age.

In 1901 the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later to become King George V and Queen Mary) toured New Zealand attending events and laying foundation stones for upcoming civic projects. Wellington streets were decorated with flags, buntings, and 11 themed arches for the royal procession.