Historic Archives
Libraries Tararua holds a variety of historic documents and photographs. There are also links below to other useful sites.
For more information on family history research, see our ancestry research page.
Microfilm of these old newspapers can be viewed at Dannevirke Library and Woodville Library; print outs can be made, or saved to usb memory-stick. To access, please ask at front desk.
Dannevirke Library has an alphabetical listing of births, deaths and marriages 1921-1971 compiled from the Dannevirke Evening News, which indicates where to find the original article.
Newspapers on microfilm at Dannevirke (unless stated otherwise)
BUSH ADVOCATE | 1901 | |
WOODVILLE EXAMINER | 1883-1938 (at Woodville Library) | |
DANNEVIRKE ADVOCATE | 1901-1912 | |
DANNEVIRKE DAILY PRESS | 1904-1908 | |
DANNEVIRKE EVENING NEWS | 1908- March 2012 |
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand is a comprehensive guide to the country’s peoples, natural environment, history, culture, economy, institutions and society. As an encyclopedia founded on historical principles, it is written mainly in the past tense.
It is a useful resource for information on the Treaty of Waitangi / te Tiriti o Waitangi.
At our Dannevirke branch, we hold various jubilee and anniversary booklets from schools and other institutions, and publications about the history of the area.
The local history collection is not available to borrow, however you can view the items while in the library. Please ask a staff member, or visit our catalogue site to see what is available.
Note: some items in the local history collection are also available in the general collection for loan.
Original local photographs are held at Dannevirke Library, and can be viewed while in the library, on request.
Currently they are not available in an online repository, but you can see our (retired) site Online here (scroll through images, not searchable).
Other photographs may be found on Digital NZ.
Digital NZ is a site containing over 30million+ New Zealand items across 300+ collections in one place. Pictures, sounds and objects from New Zealand's archives, galleries, libraries and museums.
Archives Central is where we store more than 7,000 items from Tararua District Council's archives, covering 114 years of history, have been catalogued on the Archives Central database. The listed items include minute books, correspondence files, letter books, rate books, electoral roles and accounts and financial records from between 1876 and 1990. The items are the records of various road boards, county councils, town boards, borough councils and two former district councils, all of which over the years have amalgamated to form today's Tararua District Council.
All the surviving council rate books from 1885-1920 have been scanned and added online. These can be viewed as PDFs and provide a wonderful window of who owned what properties during this time. Also available online are an assortment of maps of the various counties and boroughs.
A searchable database of topics, events, people and places that are important in NZ history.
